The MR imaging assessment of submandibular gland sialoadenitis secondary to sialolithiasis: Correlation with CT and histopathologic findings

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: MR imaging has been proved to be effective in depic ting wide variety of pathologic changes of the salivary gland. Therefore, w e evaluated clinical usefulness of MR imaging for sialolithiasis. METHODS: Sixteen patients with sialolithiasis of the submandibular gland un derwent MR imaging. MR images of the glands were obtained with a convention al (T1-weighted), fast spin-echo (fat-suppressed T2-weighted) and short inv ersion time-inversion recovery sequences, Contrast enhancement was not used . MR imaging features then were compared with clinical symptoms, histopatho logic features of excised glands, and CT imaging features, RESULTS: Submandibular glands with sialolithiasis could be classified into three types on the basis of clinical symptoms and MR imaging features of th e glands, Type I glands were positive for clinical symptoms and MR imaging abnormalities, and were characterised histopathologically by active inflamm ation (9 [56%] of 16), Type II glands were negative for clinical symptoms a nd positive for MR imaging abnormalities (4 [25%] of 16), and the glands we re replaced by fat. Type III glands were negative for clinical symptoms and MR imaging abnormalities (3 [19%] of 16), CT features of these glands corr elated well with those of MR imaging, CONCLUSION: These results suggest that MR imaging features may reflect chro nic and acute obstruction, and a combination of CT and MR imaging may compl ement each other in examining glands with sialolithiasis.