Surgery may not be required if the ranula is small and asymptomatic.

When found on the floor of the mouth, the mucocele is referred to as a ranula.

It may occur following rupture of a simple ranula.

Alternatively, ranula is described as being derived from the Greek word for "the swollen area below the mouth of a frog".

Xanthocanace ranula, is a European species of Canacidae.

A cervical ranula presents as a swelling in the neck, with or without a swelling in the mouth.

A ranula is a type of mucocele, and therefore could be classified as a disorder of the salivary glands.

Usually a ranula is confined to the floor of the mouth (termed a "simple ranula").

A ranula can develop into a large lesion many centimeters in diameter, with resultant elevation of the tongue and possibly interfering with swallowing (dysphagia).

An unusual variant is the cervical ranula (also called a plunging or diving ranula), where the swelling is in the neck rather than the floor of the mouth.

The term ranula is also sometimes used to refer to other similar swellings of the floor of mouth such as true salivary duct cysts, dermoid cysts and cystic hygromas.

The lesion is a mucous extravasation cyst (mucocele) of the floor of mouth, although a ranula is often larger than other mucoceles (mainly because the overlying mucosa is thicker).

A cervical ranula occurs when the spilled mucin dissects its way through the mylohyoid muscle, which separates the sublingual space from the submandibular space, and creates a swelling in the neck.

Incision of the plica itself can result in a ranula, or an incision placed medial to the plica can damage Wharton's duct, the sublingual artery and veins and the lingual nerve.