MR sialographic assessment of the masseter muscle and the ductal kinking in patients with recurrent parotitis.

Dysfunction of the masseter muscle may cause pathological kinking of the parotid duct leading to parotitis; MR sialography is a non-invasive radiological examination that allows to evaluate dynamically the ductal system of the parotid glands. In the present study we aimed to assess the relationships between Stensen's duct and masseter muscle and their implications in the aetiopathogenesis of recurrent parotitis secondary to masseter muscle dysfunction. Forty-one patients with recurrent unilateral parotitis and nine with bilateral recurrent parotitis, all with a clinical suspicious of masseter muscle hypertrophy due to bruxism were enrolled. They underwent ultrasonography as a first line examination and then MR sialography and sialendoscopy. Different anatomical features were studied. Involved parotid glands had a wider duct compared to contralateral unaffected parotid glands of patients with recurrent parotitis (p = 0.00134); male subjects with parotitis had a longer duct compared to the salivary glands of healthy patients (p = 0.00943 for affected glands and p = 0.00629 for the contralateral). A concordance between the evidence of an acute duct angle during sialendoscopy and a wider duct in patients with parotitis was observed although not statistically significant. These initial findings suggest that the masticatory muscle dysfunction related to bruxism seems to condition alteration of parotid duct course and anatomy thus favouring the occurrence of recurrent parotitis. A specific diagnostic iter based on clinical evaluation, dynamic ultrasonography and MR sialography, is therefore, mandatory to confirm the relationship between masseter muscle anatomy and parotid duct anomalies; this is the premise for an adequate therapeutic approach to underlying masticatory muscle disorder.

Prospective assessment of sparing the parotid ducts via MRI sialography for reducing patient reported xerostomia.

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of prospectively sparing the parotid ducts via MRI sialography on patient reported xerostomia for those receiving definitive radiotherapy (RT) for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty-eight patients with oropharynx cancer to be treated with definitive RT underwent pre-treatment MRI sialograms to localize their parotid ducts. The parotid ducts were maximally spared during treatment planning. Patients reported symptoms (PRO-CTCAE and QLQ-H&N35) were collected at 6 and 12 months post-RT and compared to a historical cohort who underwent conventional parotid gland mean dose sparing. Regression models were generated using parotid and submandibular gland doses with and without incorporating the dose to the parotid ducts to determine the impact of parotid duct dose on patient reported xerostomia. RESULTS: At 6 months post-RT, 12/26 (46%) patients reported ≥moderate xerostomia when undergoing parotid ductal sparing compared to 43/61 (70%) in the historical cohort (p = 0.03). At 12 months post-RT, 8/22 (36%) patients reported ≥moderate xerostomia when undergoing parotid ductal sparing compared to 34/68(50%) in the historical cohort (p = 0.08). Using nested logistic regression models, the mean parotid duct dose was found to significantly relate to patient reported xerostomia severity at 6 months post-RT (p = 0.04) and trended towards statistical significance at 12 months post-RT (p = 0.09). At both 6 and 12 months post-RT, the addition of mean parotid duct dose significantly improved model fit (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MRI sialography guided parotid duct sparing appears to reduce the rates of patient-reported xerostomia. Further, logistic regression analysis found parotid duct dose to be significantly associated with patient reported xerostomia. A significant improvement in model fit was observed when adding mean parotid duct dose compared to models that only contain mean parotid gland dose and mean contralateral submandibular gland dose.

[Clinical usefulness of salivary gland ultrasonography in Sjögren's syndrome: Where are we now?]. / Apport de l'échographie des glandes salivaires dans la prise en charge du syndrome de Sjögren: où en sommes-nous?

Salivary gland ultrasonography is a simple, noninvasive and inexpensive procedure, which provides valuable information for the diagnosis of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). The main sonographic characteristic of the major salivary glands (parotid and submandibular) in pSS patients is the heterogeneity of the parenchyma, with the appearance of hypoechoic areas. Numerous studies published over the past 20 years report a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of more than 90% for the diagnosis of pSS. Before the widespread use of this procedure in daily practice and its integration into classification criteria of the disease, it has yet to be validated in terms of reproducibility and a consensus score should be established. This work is being conducted by an international group of experts. Other ultrasound techniques such as elastography could also be of interest to objectively quantify changes in the glandular tissue that occur during the disease.

Assessment of salivary gland dysfunction after radioiodine therapy for thyroid carcinoma using non-contrast-enhanced CT: the significance of changes in volume and attenuation of the glands.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although radiation induced damage to the salivary gland is a known complication of radioactive iodine ((131)I) therapy for thyroid carcinoma, prediction of the severity and reversibility of sialoadenitis is difficult. Our aim was to correlate the extent of salivary dysfunction assessed by salivary gland scintigraphy with changes in the volume and attenuation of salivary glands on nonenhanced CT in postoperative patients with thyroid cancer treated with RIT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients with thyroid carcinoma, 13 men (age range, 21-80 years) and 27 women (age range, 28-75 years) who underwent a total thyroidectomy and were treated with RIT were assessed retrospectively. On CT, the percentage of volume reduction and the difference in attenuation of the parotid and submandibular glands after RIT were determined and correlated with the extent of radiation-induced salivary dysfunction on scintigraphy. RESULTS: The salivary gland volume significantly decreased with an increase in the dysfunction grade on scintigraphy for both the parotid and submandibular glands (P < .001). The attenuation significantly increased with an increase in the dysfunction grade on scintigraphy for the parotid gland (P < .001), but not for the submandibular gland. The cutoff value of volume reduction to diagnose severe gland dysfunction was 19.5% (sensitivity, 86.0%; specificity, 100%) for the parotid gland and 31.0% (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 97.0%) for the submandibular gland, and that of the attenuation change was 9.8 HU (sensitivity, 81.0%; specificity, 95%) for the parotid gland. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in volume of the parotid and submandibular glands and the increase in attenuation of the parotid gland on nonenhanced CT can be indicators of the grade of RIT-induced salivary dysfunction.

[Clinical assessment of oral diagnostic items in 2002 classification criteria for primary Sjogren's syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of each item in 2002 international classification criteria for primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) in clinically diagnosed cases. METHODS: All patients were from the Department of Oral Medicine of Peking University School of Stomatology from 2005 to 2010. Their clinical manifestations and lab testing results met the standard criteria and the diagnosis was established according to international classification criteria (2002). We retrospectively collected all of the clinical and information and did the data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 148 pSS patients were included in the study. When the oral evaluations were performed, 98.0% of the patients complained dry mouth, 96.6% of them had decreased non-stimulated salivary flow rate, and 60.1% had positive parotid sialography results, which was consistent with diagnosis. It was found out in the lab testing that 79.7% of the patients had positive anti-SSA antibody, and 75.0% of them had elevated globulin level. 20.3% of the patients were finally diagnosed by performing the lower lip biopsy. CONCLUSION: When applying 2002 international classification criteria for the diagnosis of pSS patients, oral symptoms and unstimulated salivary flow rate are feasible and sensitive, which play an important and indicative role in the diagnosis of pSS.

Comparative ultrasonographic, magnetic resonance sialographic, and videoendoscopic assessment of salivary duct disorders.

OBJECTIVES: Salivary duct disorders are the second most common cause of obstruction after calculi. Magnetic resonance sialography has been recently proposed as a means of diagnosing a heterogeneous group of salivary disorders, and so we compared it with sialoendoscopy in evaluating stenoses and sialectasia in 24 patients with obstructive symptoms and ultrasonographic results negative for calculi or masses. METHODS: All of the patients (19 of whom had recurrent unilateral or bilateral swollen parotid glands and 5 of whom also had recurrent swollen submandibular glands) underwent dynamic color Doppler ultrasonography and dynamic magnetic resonance sialography with lemon juice stimulation of saliva; 18 patients also underwent diagnostic sialoendoscopy. RESULTS: Ultrasonography and color Doppler ultrasonography showed duct dilatation in all patients (bilateral in 5 with parotid stenosis). Magnetic resonance sialography confirmed duct dilatation and stenosis in all of the patients, and revealed the simultaneous presence of calculi in 4 cases. A parotid sialocele was found in 4 cases. The magnetic resonance sialographic findings were confirmed in the patients who underwent sialoendoscopy. No side effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Magnetic resonance sialography following prediagnostic ultrasonography allows an adequate diagnosis of salivary duct disorders such as stenosis and sialectasia, as confirmed by objective sialoendoscopic assessment. Magnetic resonance sialography also makes it possible to visualize the salivary duct system up to its tertiary branches and, in this regard, may be considered a valid, noninvasive method for the evaluation of salivary duct disorders.

[Diagnostic value of radiographic and ultrasonic examinations in patients with sialoadenitis and sialolithiasis]. / Röntgen- és ultrahang-vizsgálatok értékelése sialoadenitises és sialolithiasisos betegcsoportokban.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate diagnostic role of the native x-ray and ultrasonography (US) in sialoadenitis and sialolithiasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During a period of 30 months 52 patients were selected in a study group with lithiasis and adenitis of the major salivary glands. Panoramic and either occlusal plain radiographs (sublingual and submandibular cases) or anteroposterior "blowed out" bucca and intraoral bucca radiographs (parotid cases), and US were taken of all patients. Further investigations, such as CT, MRI or FNAB were performed to discover probable differential diagnostic problems. RESULTS: The sensitivity of US for salivary stones was 75.0%, for inflammation was 77.4%. The sensitivity of x-ray for salivary stones was 60.7%. The cumulative effectiveness of x-ray and US for sialolithiasis was 91.3%. In the remaining two cases of sialolithiasis, CT supported the earlier diagnosis. In sialoadenitis, twice FNAB, four times MRI verified the supposed diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the advantages of CT and MR evaluations, sonography and native x-ray seems to keep their priorities as diagnostic methods, because they are cost-effective and easily available in dento-alveolar surgical practice. The lack of intraductal imaging ability might be considered as one of the major disadvantages in evaluation of possible diagnostic alternatives.

[MR Sialography]. / SIALO-IRM.

Indications for sialography have became rare and radiologists are less and less experienced for salivary gland cannulation. MR Sialography allows opacification of salivary ducts without any cannulation and could replace residual indications for sialography. The purpose of this paper is to review the principle of the technique, the normal and pathologic aspects of MR Sialography and to emphasize advantages and limitations compared to other techniques.

[Simple and cost effective cannula for sialography: Technical note]. / Siyalografi için gelistirilmis basit ve ucuz kanül.

We developed a simple and cost-effective modified cannula for sialography. The cannulae were made from nineteen, twenty-one and twenty-three gauge winged infusion set which are generally used for injection of contrast material in radiological imaging. In this article, we intend to introduce this cannula and discuss its utility.

[The value of sialo-MRI in the study of salivary gland duct pathology]. / Intérêt de la sialo-IRM dans l'exploration des pathologies canalaires des glandes salivaires.

Usual imaging diagnostic for salivary glands is sialography. Sialography is not stripped of disadvantages and failures. The MRI-sialography is an examination which is carried out without any injection of contrast's product (without catheterization or intravenous injection). It is thus noninvasive and painless. The complete study of salivary gland and its ducts is always possible and could not be blocked by local or loco-regional conditions. It allows exploration of several salivary glands in the same time. We think that the MRI-sialography must find its place in the diagnosis arsenal for salivary pathology in spite of its current handicaps represented by its cost and the difficulty of access to the apparatuses.

Effective dose and risk assessment from computed tomography of the maxillofacial complex.

The effective dose from computed tomography of the maxillofacial complex has been estimated and used for an assessment of risk. For each scan sequence 64 TLDs were placed in 27 selected sites in the upper portion of a tissue-equivalent human phantom to record the equivalent dose in radiosensitive organs/tissues. Equivalent doses ranged from 0.11 mSv (bone marrow, maxillary scan) to 20 mSv (salivary glands, mandibular scan). By the use of a calculation that included the salivary glands as part of the remainder, two contiguous 1 cm axial slices of the maxilla were found to result in an effective dose of 0.1 mSv, and four contiguous 1 cm axial slices of the mandible in an effective dose of 0.76 mSv. Effective doses of this magnitude represent a probability of stochastic effects of the order of 8 X 10(-6) and 56 X 10(-6) respectively.

Clinical assessment and diagnosis of immunologically mediated salivary gland disease in Sjögren's syndrome.

Because salivary gland function and morphology can be changed by a variety of diseases and drugs, the process of clinically assessing and diagnosing salivary gland changes in patients suspected of having Sjögren's syndrome (SS) must include not just clinical recognition of the problem and assessment of its nature and severity, but identification of the cause. Determining the presence of the salivary component of SS in a patient suspected of having the disease involves three types of observations: (1) eliciting symptoms and observing signs suggesting decreased salivary function (xerostomia) during the examination, (2) objectively assessing functional or anatomical salivary changes with different types of clinical procedures that are not necessarily disease-specific, and (3) applying the most disease-specific procedures as diagnostic criteria to determine the cause of the problem. Currently used diagnostic criteria for the salivary component of SS are reviewed and compared. Alternative diagnostic criteria should be avoided if they substitute non-specific tests for more disease-specific tests. There is as yet no perfect diagnostic criterion for the salivary component of SS, but significant focal sialadenitis in a labial salivary gland biopsy is the best in terms of its disease specificity, convenience, availability and low risk.

Preoperative assessment of parotid masses: a comparative evaluation of radiologic techniques to histopathologic diagnosis.

A double-blind, retrospective analysis of 110 sequentially operated parotid masses compared the usefulness of preoperative radiologic evaluation to histopathologic diagnosis. The radiologic assessment included 25 sialograms, 162 computed tomography scans, and 10 nuclear magnetic resonance images. The diagnosis is influenced by the following four parameters of computed tomography: tumor borders, density, homogeneity, and enhancement. Well-defined borders, a homogeneous appearance, and high density strongly favor the diagnosis of a benign tumor or a low-grade malignancy (96.7%). Ill-defined tumor borders, heterogeneity, and high density indicate mainly a high-grade or recurrent malignancy (68.8%). Ill-defined borders, a heterogeneous appearance, and mixed density identify a lymphoepithelial lesion, lymphangioma, or sialoadenitis (100%). Sialography is cost effective in the evaluation of lymphoepithelial lesions. Computed tomography sialography offers no advantages over computed tomography with intravenous contrast. High-resolution computed tomography with intravenous contrast is highly sensitive for tumor detection (97%). Magnetic resonance imaging is complementary or superior to computed tomography (100%).

Assessment of salivary gland pathology.

At this institution, inflammatory problems and calculous disease are evaluated by plain films or sialography. CT can be used for stone evaluation but is not usually necessary. Although CT has been the mainstay of tumor evaluation, magnetic resonance imaging has several very definite advantages and is likely to supercede CT as the procedure of choice.