Postoperative sialadenitis following retromastoid suboccipital craniectomy for posterior fossa tumor.

During retromastoid and far-lateral posterior fossa surgical approaches the head may be positioned at the extreme limits of rotation and extension. In rare instances, patients may develop acute sialadenitis after surgery as a consequence of such positioning. In those patients, the neck/facial swelling is contralateral to the craniectomy site. The mechanism implicated in acute sialadenitis in the patient described in this report was because of obstruction to the salivary duct due to surgical positioning. The course of this complication is typically benign if it is identified early in the postoperative period.