The value of 68 Ga-PSMA-11 positron emission tomography/computerized tomography in evaluating the lacrimal and salivary glands function

Objective To investigate the value of Ga-68-PSMA-11 positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) in evaluating lacrimal and salivary glands function. Methods Ten patients with pSS and 18 healthy volunteers were recruited in this study. All participants underwent Ga-68-PSMA-11 PET/CT, and the patients with pSS performed salivary gland scintigraphy the next day. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), average of the standard uptake value (SUVavg), the average CT value (CTavg), and volume (V) in the region of interest (ROI) of each lacrimal and salivary gland were analyzed in Ga-68-PSMA-11 PET/CT. The uptake ratio (UR) of the bilateral parotid gland and submandibular gland was calculated in salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS). Statistical analysis was processed by the SPSS software and the MedCalc software. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results Almost all the parameters of pSS were significantly lower than those of the control group (p < 0.05). The left parotid gland (PG) UR was positive correlation with left PG SUVmax (r = 0.758, p = 0.011) and left PG SUVavg (r = 0.770, p = 0.009); the right PGUR was positive correlation with right PG SUVmax (r = 0.721, p = 0.019) and right PG SUVavg (r = 0.721, p = 0.019). The SUVmax and SUVavg of both sides of acrimal and salivary glands had area under the receiver operating curve values greater than 0.5. Conclusions Ga-68-PSMA-11 PET/CT can simultaneously enable the visualization of lacrimal glands and salivary glands and be used to evaluate the lacrimal and salivary glands function.