Drooling (Sialorrhoea)

This is defined as the overflow of saliva from the mouth. Young children frequently experience drooling of saliva and indeed it is considered normal up to 18-24 months of age. Drooling after 4 years is considered pathological. In adults drooling may be related to neurological conditions which result in poor control of the oral muscles.

Diagnostics

Blood Tests

Why?

There are numerous tests that can be performed on a single blood sample to diagnose many diseases.

How?

Despite a large number of tests being requested, usually only one sample of blood is required. A very small needle is used to draw a few mls of blood from a vein just under the skin. Usually this is taken from the arm. Anaesthetic cream can be used first if requested but is not generally required. Depending on the tests the results may take from a few hours to several days to be processed.


Ultrasound

Why?

Ultrasound is an excellent way of investigating neck lumps and looking at the thyroid gland. The cause of the lump and the site it has arisen from can usually be identified.

How?

The scan is similar to pregnancy scans and is entirely painless. A gel is placed onto the skin and a doctor moves the probe across the skin while looking at the images on a monitor. On occasions the doctor may decide that a fine needle aspiration is necessary to obtain more information (see below)

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