[A rare cause of subacute parotitis. The pathogenetic role of crystals from an infarcted Whartin's tumour?].

The etiology of a subacute inflammatory swelling in the area of the right parotid gland in a 62-years old man could not be resolved clinically. The histomorphological examination of the surgical specimen showed an intraglandular area of predominantly chronic histiocytic inflammation with foreign body reaction in the intimate neighbourhood of a small, subtotally infarcted Warthin's tumour. Not birefringent spindle-shaped crystals could be demonstrated both within the parotitis or intraluminally in vital parts of the Warthin's tumour. In terms of the possible causes of the severe intraglandular inflammation, all arguments favour a primary infarction of the Warthin's tumour with the release of intraluminal preformed crystals which secondarily induce a massive inflammation with foreign body reaction, corresponding to the clinical presentation of a subacute parotitis.