Bilateral Ectopic Submandibular Glands in the Carotid Triangles: A Case Report with Review of Literature

This case report presents a rare and unusual bilateral ectopic location of the submandibular glands in the carotid triangles of the infrahyoid region of the neck. Both submandibular glands were found anteromedial to the carotid sheath suspended from the floor of the mouth by their ducts and from the lingual nerves by branches to the glands. Such rare variations are crucial in diagnostic imaging, aesthetic surgery, radiation therapy, and surgical treatment of diseases comprising those of the glands. The consideration of such unusual location is of relevance in the differential diagnosis of neck mass and the decision-making process regarding approaches to the submandibular glands during various surgical procedures (trans-cervical, trans-oral, endoscopic, etc.) and in avoiding the risk of injury to adjacent neurovascular structures such as facial vessels, cervical and mandibular branches of the facial, hypoglossal, and lingual nerves.