Salivary Glands Ultrasonography as a Diagnostic Aid in Sjögren Syndrome: A Prospective Pilot Investigation

Abstarct Objectives The aims of this pilot investigation were to calculate the levels of sensitivity and specificity of salivary glands ultrasonography (SGUS) in diagnosing Sjogren syndrome (SS) and to assess the ultrasonographic findings of parotid and submandibular glands. Methods : Patients diagnosed with SS, dry mouth (DrMo), and healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. Bilateral parotid and submandibular glands were assessed for 1) parenchymal inhomogeneity (PIH) 2) median size of the glands, 3) visibility of glandular posterior borders, and 4) size of sialolith, if present. Results : This study included 34 females of which 12(35.3%) had SS, 12(35.3%) had DM, and 10(29.4%) were HC. Patients with SS showed higher PIH scores in all glands with the median differences being statistically higher in the right and left parotids and left submandibular glands (P Conclusions : SGUS is a noninvasive imaging modality with good sensitivity and specificity that might be valuable as a diagnostic aid for SS.