Abstract
Fourteen human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐positive patients with parotid enlargement were reviewed retrospectively in order to elucidate the natural history of this clinical entity. The efficacy of fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) in predicting benign nonsurgical disease was evaluated. The most common findings on FNA were proteinaceous fluid and/or epithelial cells consistent with cyst contents in 71% of the patients, followed by reactive lymphadenitis (50%), and chronic or granulomatous inflammation (21%). No evidence of malignancy was seen in any patient. These results correlated well with the histopathologic diagnosis in all operated patients. Surgery did not affect the ultimate clinical outcome. This study suggests that HIV‐positive patients with isolated asymptomatic parotid swelling in the absence of other clinical features suggestive of malignancy can be followed conservatively with FNA, avoiding the risks of surgery.
