Submandibular gland resection and bilateral parotid duct ligation as a management for chronic drooling in cerebral palsy.

The control of chronic drooling in cerebral palsy has been difficult in the past. Previous methods to control drooling include the Wilkie procedure, which diverts the salivary flow from the parotid glands by means of surgically created tunnels to the tonsillar fossa, along with submandibular gland resection. An alternative is submandibular gland resection with bilateral parotid duct ligation. Previous published studies using this method have resulted in good to excellent results, but population sizes were felt to be too small to be conclusive. Since 1979, a total of 58 patients have been treated by parotid duct ligation with submandibular gland resection, and 86 percent have shown good to excellent results. These results compare favorably with those published by Wilkie. Also, parotid duct ligation is technically easier, associated with less postoperative morbidity, and has shown a decreased duration of hospitalization compared to parotid duct transposition.