Acute Parotitis: A Rare Complication of Fine Needle Aspiration in Warthin Tumour

Salivary gland tumours are a group of neoplasms with considerable heterogeneity regarding their histology and biological behaviour. Warthin tumour (WT) is the second most common benign parotid tumour. Options for tissue diagnosis include fine needle aspiration (FNA) and ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy. Complications related to FNA are rare. We present the case of a 49-year-old man admitted with parotitis after FNA and discuss management and an alternative investigative approach when WT is strongly suspected. LEARNING POINTS: Warthin tumour (WT) can be clinically suspected based on location (parotid gland tail), cystic texture, patient sex (male) and age (fifth and sixth decades of life), after exclusion of features related to malignancy. Complications of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for WT diagnosis are rare and most commonly include haemorrhage, facial nerve injury, cellulitis at the needle puncture site and, less frequently, parotitis. When diagnosing tumours strongly suspected of being WT, the clinician should avoid routine FNA and instead use combined imaging studies.