Warthin's Tumor in Deep Lobe of Parotid Gland; Reason for Its Rarity

Warthin's tumor in the deep lobe of the parotid gland is comparatively rare. We treated four male patients with Warthin's tumor in the deep lobe.The histogenesis of Warthin's tumors is discussed.Heterotopic ductal epithelial tissue probably invades lymphnodes, which are numerous in the pre- and supratragal areas, but scarce in the deep lobe. Therefore, Warthin's tumor rarely arises from the deep lobe.Scintigraphic studies were performed in case 1 and case 2: 99 mTcO4-pertechnetate scintigraphy showed a cold spot in case 1 and a normal image in case 2; 67 Ga-citrate scintigraphy showed hot areas in both patients. We consider that these findings were due to abscess formation.