Pain and swelling after sialography: Is it a significant problem?

Objectives. This study investigated the incidence of pain and swelling afte r sialography and quantified the duration and severity of these symptoms. Study design. Sialography was performed on 92 patients who were then given a questionnaire to complete. Seventy-two questionnaires were returned and c ompleted in a satisfactory manner. The patients were asked to assess pain a nd swelling before and after the sialogram was performed by using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Comparisons between postsialographic measurements and baseline measures were carried out by using Friedman repeated measures ana lysis of variance on ranks. Results. VAS scores increased significantly for both pain and swelling 1 ho ur after the sialogram (T1). The scores for swelling returned to baseline l evels after 1 day (T2). The VAS for pain showed a similar pattern, but 2 da ys after the sialogram (T3), the scores were significantly lower, compared with those before the sialogram (P <.05). Conclusions. Sialography is a safe procedure. Patients should be advised th at minor effects may last approximately 1 day. A reduction in pain to below baseline levels was noted 2 days after sialography, which may suggest an u nexpected benefit of sialography.