Nucl Med Mol Imaging.  2011 Sep;45(3):161-168.

Evaluation of Salivary Gland Dysfunction Using Salivary Gland Scintigraphy in Sjogren's Syndrome Patients and in Thyroid Cancer Patients after Radioactive Iodine Therapy

• Kang JY
• Jang SJ
• Lee WW
• Jang SJ
• Lee YJ
• Kim SE

Abstract

PURPOSE
Salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS) provides an objective means of diagnosing salivary gland dysfunction in Sjogren's syndrome (SS) patients and in thyroid cancer patients after radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy. In the present study, SGS was performed in SS patients and in thyroid cancer patients post-RAI, and scintigraphic parameters were compared.
METHODS
Twenty-eight SS patients (males:females=1:27, age 53.3+/-11.9 years), 28 controls (males:females=3:25, age 54.1+/-10.1 years), and 92 thyroid cancer patients (males:females=28:64, age 46.2+/-12.9) who had undergone a session of high-dose RAI therapy (mean dose, 5.2+/-1.5 GBq) were included. SGS was performed using Tc-99m pertechnetate (925 MBq). Scintigraphic parameters (parotid uptake ratio PU, submandibular uptake ratio SU, percentage parotid excretion %PE, and percentage submandibular excretion %SE) were measured and compared for SS, thyroid cancer post-RAI, and control patients.
RESULTS
PU, SU, %SE, and %PE were all significantly lower in SS than in post-RAI thyroid cancer or control patients (p<0.05), whereas only %PE was significantly lower in post-RAI thyroid cancer patients than in controls (p<0.05). SU and %SE were found to be correlated with the unstimulated whole salivary flow rate.
CONCLUSION
Scintigraphic parameters derived from SGS can play a crucial role in the detection of salivary gland dysfunction in SS patients and in post-RAI thyroid cancer patients.

Keyword

Salivary gland scintigraphy; Sjogren's syndrome; Radioactive iodine therapy; Thyroid cancer; Tc-99m pertechnetate

MeSH Terms

Humans
Iodine
Salivary Glands
Sjogren's Syndrome
Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m
Thyroid Gland
Thyroid Neoplasms
Iodine
Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m