Cystic Lesions of the Parotid Salivary Gland: a Clinical Dilemma

Cystic lesions within the parotid gland are uncommon and frequently misdiagnosed as parotid tumors clinically. We report a 43-year-old female with a case history of painless, soft, fluctuant swelling of left parotid. The lesion was found out to be cystic through the preoperative examinations and investigations. The cyst was completely excised along with the superficial lobe of the parotid taking care not to injure the facial nerve. Postoperative recovery was uneventful with no defect in facial nerve functions. The histopathological picture was suggestive of lymphoepithelial cyst which is also known as “branchial cyst.” We report this case on account of its rarity and clinical take home messages learnt during management of this case, namely, mandatory HIV testing for cystic lesions of the parotid gland as cystic parotid swellings commonly present an early manifestation of HIV infection, and, secondly, aspirations of the cystic lesions are not advised as chances of recurrence are high as it did in our case.