Intermandibular space swelling for about two months with difficulty in mastication and deglutition was observed in a four years old cow.
Inspection revealed the presence of uniform fluctuating swelling along the whole length of the intermandibular space. Examination of the buccal cavity revealed continuation of the swelling under the tongue. Exploratory cutaneous puncture revealed presence of saliva and about 300 ml was aspirated by strile syringe. Sialocele cyst of the sublingual and mandib¬ular salivary glands was diagnosed.
Surgical cutaneous incision at the anterior part of the Swelling led to complete evacuation of the contents. Subsequently a perminant salivary fistula was resulted. Two injections of 10 ml. of diluted Tr. of iodine at weekly interval resulted in localized fibrosis in the intermandibular space. It appears that alternative treatment could had been by creation of a salivary fistual inside the buccal cavity.
As conclusion it should be emphasised that swelling in the intermandibular space may require a more precise differential diagnosis because such swelling can be misleading with actinomycotic or foreign body abscesses. The diagnosis " ranula " has to be established by exploratory puncture and oral cavity examination.