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

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Abstract

Purpose

Salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS) provides an objective means of diagnosing salivary gland dysfunction in Sjögren’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.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grant no. 02-2008-003 from the SNUBH Research Fund.

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Author notes

  1. Su Jin Jang

    Present address: Department of Nuclear Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

  2. Sung June Jang

    Present address: Department of Nuclear Medicine, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 166 Gumi-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 463–707, Korea

    Ji Yeon Kang, Su Jin Jang, Won Woo Lee, Sung June Jang & Sang Eun Kim

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Yun Jong Lee

  3. Institute of Radiation Medicine, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea

    Won Woo Lee & Sang Eun Kim

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  1. Ji Yeon Kang
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Correspondence to Won Woo Lee.

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Kang, J.Y., Jang, S.J., Lee, W.W. et al. Evaluation of Salivary Gland Dysfunction Using Salivary Gland Scintigraphy in Sjögren’s Syndrome Patients and in Thyroid Cancer Patients after Radioactive Iodine Therapy. Nucl Med Mol Imaging 45, 161–168 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-011-0091-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-011-0091-y

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