MR sialography and salivary gland SPECT/CT for parotid glands in patients with Sjogren's syndrome

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate MR sialography and SPECT/CT for parotid glands in Sjogren's syndrome patients. Methods Thirty Sjogren's syndrome patients underwent MR sialography and SPECT/CT. The MR sialographic stagings of Sjogren's syndrome were determined by the criteria (stage 0: normal; stage 1: punctate appearance; stage 2: globular appearance; stage 3: cavitary appearance; stage 4: destructive appearance). The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the right and left parotid glands with SPECT/CT was obtained using a workstation and software. MR sialographic stagings and SUVmax of parotid glands were evaluated at pre- and post-stimulation and ratio of pre- to post-stimulation. Results Regarding pre-stimulation, the SUVmax of stage 0 (31.9 +/- 19.3) was significantly higher than that of stage 2 (19.7 +/- 7.5, P = .046), stage 3 (10.2 +/- 7.1, P < .001) and stage 4 (6.8 +/- 4.3, P < .001). Furthermore, the SUVmax at ratio of pre- to post-stimulation of stage 0 (1.87 +/- 0.55) was significantly higher than that of stage 3 (1.16 +/- 0.30, P = .001) and stage 4 (1.16 +/- 0.40, P < .001). Conclusion This study suggests that MR sialography and SPECT/CT SUV are effective tool for the management of Sjogren's syndrome patients.