Salivary scintigraphy for Sjögren's syndrome in patients with xerostomia: a retrospective study

Objectives The value of salivary gland scintigraphy in the diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome remains controversial. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of salivary gland scintigraphy in the diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome among 237 patients with xerostomia. Methods We retrospectively compared eight scintigraphy parameters between 106 Sjogren patients and 131 non-Sjogren patients. Results Seven of the eight parameters were significantly decreased in Sjogren patients; however their diagnostic accuracy was low, with AUCs ranging from 0.58 (95% CI 0.50-0.65) to 0.63 (95% CI: 0.55-0.70). The prestimulatory oral activity index allowed discrimination between primary and secondary Sjogren's syndrome (AUC 0.73, 95% CI: 0.62-0.84) and the secretion velocity for parotid glands allowed discrimination between Sjogren patients and Burning Mouth Syndrome patients (AUC 0.71, 95% CI 0.59-0.82). Conclusion The accuracy of scintigraphy parameters for the diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome among patients with xerostomia was low, however, some functional indices appeared to assist discrimination between primary and secondary SS patients and between sub-groups of patients with different causes of xerostomia. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.