MR Imaging of the Parotid Gland in Sj#{246}gren's Syndrome: A Proposal

OBJECTIVE. Because classic diagnostic techniques for Sj#{246}gren's syndrome (SS) are invasive and require radiation exposure, a noninvasive diagnostic method might benefit patients with 55. The purpose of this study was to determine whether quanti- tative analysis of MR images of the parotid gland can differentate patients with SS from normal subjects. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. We performed quantitative analysis of MR images of the parotid gland for 40 patients with definite and probable 55, for 30 normal subjects matched by age and sex to the 55 patients, and for 10 patients with parotid inflamma- tion. MR images of the parotid gland were assessed by calculating standard devia- tions (SD) of signal intensity. RESULTS. SD of signal intensity exclusively (p < .000i) separated MR images of the parotid glands of patients with definite 55 from those of normal subjects. SD of signal intensity for the parotid glands of patients with probable 55 also were significantly higher (p < .OOi) than those of normal subjects. Changes in signal intensity were spe- cific for 55 and did not occur with parotid inflammation. Tentative categorization on the basis of signal intensity patterns on MR images of the parotid glands of 55 patients showed a high correlation with the results of labial gland biopsy (r = .834) and sialography (r = .936). CONCLUSION. Taken together, these results conclusively indicate that quantitative analysis of MR images for SD of signal intensity is a useful method for diagnosing SS and can replace classic methods, which are invasive.