Gustatory sweating in the submandibular region following neck dissection: a case with thermographic evaluation and review of the literature.

m C m Gustatory sweating is a fairly common complication after surgery or injury of the parotid gland. The pathogenesis is based on aberrant nerve regeneration between the parasympathetic fibers of the salivary glands and the sympathetic fibers of the cutaneous sweat glands or blood vessels. Inappropriate inneration leads to local cutaneous sweating and vasodiation during mastication. A similar condition has een reported in the cervical region after neck surery, such as neck dissection, submandibular gland xcision, and cervical lymphadenectomy, but the frequency of this condition is extremely rare. Since 1934, when the original report by Uprus et al appeared, only 26 cases have been reported in the English-language literature. The authors present a case of gustatory sweating in the submandibular region after selective neck dissection. They investigated the severity of symptoms using thermography and found biphasic responses in gustatory sweating: cold spots from sweating and hot spots from vascular flushing. They also review previous cases and describe the etiology and treatment.