My kid has a swelling below the ear

This kid of 10 years has a swelling below the left ear pretty tender too on touch. 

The anguished mother wanted an ultrasound scan. 

This is what we found:

Ultrasound and color Doppler are useful tools for evaluating parotid gland lesions.

These are our findings on sonography of the salivary glands:

1. Ultrasound shows enlargement, heterogeneity, and hypoechoic foci of the affected left parotid salivary gland.

2. Color and power Doppler show increased vascularity and prominent vessels within the gland.

3. In this case, the left parotid gland shows signs of parotitis, while the right parotid and submandibular glands are normal.

What is the final diagnosis here?

# The possible causes of unilateral parotitis include mumps, Castleman's disease, or salivary gland tumors.

# Further investigations such as MRI or biopsy may be needed to confirm the diagnosis.

What is parotitis?

Parotitis is an inflammation of the parotid gland that can be caused by viral, bacterial, or autoimmune diseases.

Management and prognosis of parotitis:

Management of parotitis depends on the underlying cause. For bacterial infections, antibiotics are usually prescribed. For viral infections, antivirals may be used. For other causes, such as salivary stones, tumors, or autoimmune diseases, surgery or other treatments may be needed. Symptomatic relief can be achieved by using painkillers, sialogogues (substances that stimulate saliva production), warm compresses, and gland massage. Oral hygiene and hydration are also important to prevent complications.

Prognosis: of parotitis varies depending on the severity and cause of the condition. Most cases of acute parotitis resolve within a few weeks with appropriate treatment. However, some cases may lead to complications such as abscess formation, facial nerve palsy, sepsis, or chronic recurrent parotitis. Chronic parotitis may require long-term management and may affect the quality of life of the patient. 

For more on this visit:

Sonography of salivary glands

Reference:

Parotitis: Parotid Gland Swelling Causes, Symptoms & Treatment. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23577-parotitis-parotid-gland-swelling 

(2) Suppurative parotitis in adults - UpToDate. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/suppurative-parotitis-in-adults 

(3) Parotitis Treatment & Management - Medscape. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/882461-treatment