Utility of Dynamic MR sialography for dry mouth

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of dynamic MR sialographic images as a diagnostic tool for patients with dry mouth as chief complaint. Methods: Various parameters of dynamic MR sialographic images from 40 healthy volunteers were compared with those from 30 patients having dry mouth as chief complaint and 5 patients with Sjogren's syndrome. Dynamic MR sialographic images were acquired using a 1.5-T full-body MR system and 2D-FASE sequences. Acquisition of the optimal section using 2D-FASE sequencing with single-section acquisition of thick sections was repeated every 30 seconds before and after a few drops of 5% citric acid was placed on the tongue. Student's t-test was used to examine differences between the healthy volunteer and patient groups with regard to the maximum area of salivary gland ducts before and after citric acid stimulation. Results: Differences between the parameters were elucidated between healthy volunteers and patients. The maximum area of the detectable ducts in the patient group was significantly smaller (P<0.01), while the change in detectable duct area was significantly lower (P<0.01). In addition, on the dynamic MR sialographs of all five patients with Sjogren syndrome, the so-called “apple-tree appearance” was seen. Conclusions: Our study suggests that dynamic MR sialographic images and data can be useful in the diagnosis of patients with dry mouth as chief complaint.