Back in early February, during a boute with a nasty upper respiratory virus, I awoke one morning with a swollen area on the left side of my hard palate. After a few days the swelling went down but a smaller lump was left that didn't go away. I waited awhile before going to see an ENT, and he suspected it was an inflamed MSG and would probably go away of its own accord. After waiting a few more weeks it still hadn't gone down any so I returned to the ENT and he did a biopsy of the area. He didn't do an incisional (is that right?) biopsy, but used that hole-punch like thing and took several pieces leaving a nice sized hole in the roof of my mouth. The biopsy came back showing inflamed minor salivary gland tissue. It didn't take long for the area to heal up (a couple of weeks) but at the site where he did the biopsy, another lump/knot appeared right at the site that he did the biopsy, even larger than before. It feels rather pea-sized to me but it probably isn't that large, your tongue makes thing feel larger than they usually are. It was done around the first of April, and even three months later it is still there. I went back to the ENT earlier this month wondering why I had developed this lump/knot and he said that it was probably the same MSG as before or a different one. I asked why it hadn't gone down and he said it might never go away. He said that my two options were to excise the gland or leave it alone. He recommended leaving it alone. Well I am worried about it and afraid he may not be shooting straight with me. Could this be still inflamed MSG? Why would the tissue remain inflamed after so long and as the ENT said, possibly never go down? Should I seek a second opinion elsewhere? There are not very many ENT clinics in this area, I had to drive an hour to get to the one that I am speaking of. Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hello Caine

A minor saliva gland can cause a swelling if the duct gets blocked (because of damage or inflammation). I suggest that you see an Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon for a second opinion and removal of the swelling if it is bothering you. A punch biopsy is one way of removing the salivary gland but an OMFS surgeon would probably do an excision biopsy differently.

Hope that helps.

Best wishes
Vinod