SIALOGRAPHY - A SIMPLE CANNULATION METHOD

Since Arcelin developed sialography in 1902, numerous advances have be en made in instrumentation and techniques [1, 2]. Despite these advanc es, cannulation of the submandibular duct, in particular, remains diff icult in some patients because of the small caliber of the duct's orif ice [3]. Many ideas have been advanced in the past to assist with cann ulation. For example, the use of horsehairs and nylon sutures to locat e the orifice of the salivary duct and guide cannulation was advocated by Thomas in 1956 and Liverud in 1959, respectively [1, 4]. In 1969, Suzuki and Kawashima [5] used a Seldinger wire as a catheter guide. Th is technique had some reported failures in cannulation of the submandi bular duct [1]. Harwell [6], in 1978, suggested the use of a blunted m etal obturator and a plastic sheath. These techniques use rigid instru ments, and there is a risk of duct perforation [1, 6]. We have found t hat using a 0.020-in. (0.508-mm) diameter double olive-tipped salivary duct dilator (Cook Inc., Bloomington, IN) as a coaxial guide for a 24 -gauge IV catheter (Insyte, Becton Dickinson Vascular Access, Sandy, U T) facilitates cannulation of the small orifices of the salivary ducts .