Department of Surgery News | Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University

<BIG>BRIDE-TO-BE TRAVELS ACROSS COUNTRY FOR LEADING-EDGE SALIVARY GLAND SURGERY</BIG>
 
Following Outpatient Salivary Endoscopy at Stony Brook, Wedding to Go as Planned — Pain-Free and Happily

<DIV class=caption>Dr. Mark F. Marzouk at post-op appointment with patient Tina Truglia who had salivary gland stones removed two days prior.

</DIV></DIV>

STONY BROOK, NY, February 24, 2014 — Tina Truglia had experienced excruciating pain in her jaw for nearly a decade and was misdiagnosed with everything from mumps to mono.

Eager to have her upcoming wedding free of pain, Ms. Truglia flew from Flagstaff, AZ, to Long Island in mid-February, trading in a June week of bridal festivities, including her bachelorette party, for an appointment with <a href="/surgery/people/faculty/dr-mark-f-marzouk">Mark F. Marzouk, MD</a>, assistant professor of surgery and a member of our <a href="/surgery/divisions/ent-surgery">Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Division</a>.

Ms. Truglia had been told by former doctors that she needed an operation to remove her salivary gland, something this 32-year-old bride-to-be did not want to do so close to her upcoming nuptials.

The current standard in most institutions for treating salivary duct stones has been surgical removal of the gland that entails an incision in the neck and an overnight stay in the hospital.

The conventional "open" operation also carries with it the potential complications of scarring, wound infection, and facial nerve injury.

Leaving the stones untreated would have left Ms. Truglia at risk for severe and repeated infections. With her wedding just months away, she turned to the web and searched for another solution.

<div class=callout>Salivary endoscopy allows for minimally invasive salivary gland surgery in a safe and effective way, and is done on an outpatient basis.</DIV>

What and who she found was only 15 minutes away from the home she grew up in in Farmingville, NY.

During her appointment with Dr. Marzouk, he correctly diagnosed Ms. Truglia with five salivary duct stones, the size of baby teeth, embedded in her gland.

Ms. Truglia had a <a href="/surgery/patient-care/clinical/ent-surgery/services/salivary-endoscopy">salivary endoscopy</a>, the new minimally invasive salivary gland procedure that can be used for both diagnosis and treatment at Stony Brook University Hospital. This procedure is performed by only a few surgeons in the United States.

<div class="caption">
Dr. Mark F. Marzouk, one 
of few experts nationwide 
in salivary endoscopy.</div></div>

On Wednesday, February 19, the patient was in and out of surgery within 25 minutes. She had all five stones removed by Dr. Marzouk during the endoscopy procedure. And following her post-op visit two days later, she returned to Arizona.

In 2010, soon after Dr. Marzouk joined our faculty, he performed the first salivary endoscopy ever done on Long Island. This minimally invasive technique allows for the examination of the salivary ducts under endoscopic guidance. Treatments, such as stone removal, duct dilatation, and steroid injection, can be done at the same time.

Sialolithiasis, or stone(s) in the salivary duct, is the most common disease of the salivary gland for which salivary endoscopy is done. It affects approximately 12 in 1,000 adults. Symptoms include pain, intermittent swelling of the gland, and possibly severe infection.

The success rate of salivary endoscopy in treating sialolithiasis is over 90%, as reported in the current literature, with less than 5% recurrence. Recovery time is much faster than with an open technique, and patients may return to a normal diet the same day.

Salivary endoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure. It allows for salivary gland surgery in a safe and effective way, and is done on an outpatient basis. Originally developed in Switzerland, salivary endoscopy is truly one of the most fascinating and patient-centered innovations introduced in recent years in the field of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.

Since Dr. Marzouk started performing salivary endoscopy at Stony Brook, he has attracted numerous patients from around the world, who travel to be cared for by him, in order to obtain the relief they seek without having a conventional operation.

For consultations/appointments with Dr. Marzouk, please call 631-444-4121. Watch this video (1:27 min) to see him do a salivary endoscopy with stone removal: