A Ranula is a transparent retention cyst in the floor of the mouth arising from the sublingual salivary glands. Ranula means a small frog and the cyst is so-called because of a supposed resemblance to a small frog.
The cyst enlarges slowly, penetrating the deep structures of the floor of the mouth above the mylohyoid muscle. It is more common in neonates and children and potentially can cause respiratory embarrassment. It appears as a blue-grey, dome-like swelling beneath the tongue. It is highly transluminable. It may burst spontaneously, discharging its contents and collapsing, but almost invariably recurring.
Treatment depends on size. Small ranulae are excised; larger ones are marsupialized, i.e. de-roofed so that the cyst opens into the floor of the mouth.
Referral from primary care: routine ENT/ head and neck (1)
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