Comparative Study Of Ultrasonography And Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Salivary Glands In Sjogren’s Syndrome

Objective: A comparative study of parotid and submandibular glands ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)findings in Sj(?)gren`s syndrome(SS)patients was conducted to analyze the differences and similarities between MRI grading and ultrasound scoring.Methods: This study is a prospective study.A total of 28 patients who complained of dry mouth were enrolled in our hospital and diagnosed with SS according to the SS classification criteria recommended by the American College of Rheumatology(ACR)and The European League Against Rheumatism(EULAR)in 2016(age range,26-69 years old;mean age,47.5±21.5).Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and ultrasound scans were performed on both parotid and submandibular glands,and the obtained images were observed and analyzed.The conventional MRI images and ultrasound sonograms were graded and scored according to the degree of fat deposition in the gland and the size of the hypoechoic nodules.The results were analyzed by paired sample Wilcoxon signed-rank test,two independent sample Wilcoxon rank-sum test,Kappa consistency test,and Spearman’s correlation analysis.Results: The changes in the fatty signal on MRI and the echogenicity and hypoechoic nodules on ultrasound sonograms in the salivary glands of patients showed a similar trend.The MRI grading and ultrasound scoring of the parotid and submandibular glands on both left and right sides showed moderate consistency and correlation.The differences in MRI grading and ultrasound scoring of the same gland were statistically significant(P values were 0.003,0.025,0.003,and 0.001,respectively).Conclusion: The hypoechoic nodules observed in the ultrasound sonograms were related to the deposition of adipose tissue after glandular differentiation.The ultrasound scoring can reflect the degree of glandular lesions in patients well.