Abstract
Since parotid swelling is the most informative symptom of sialoadenosis, we examined parotid swellings with sialography as a means of diagnosing sialoadenosis. An X-ray was taken from a fixed position relative to the body, using a focus film distance (FFD) of 70 cm. To determine an “index” of parotid swelling, the distance between the submandibular bone ridge and the end of the main duct was measured from the X-ray picture. After examination of 30 normal parotids, we decided that “abnormal” swelling was anything exceeding 1.9 cm. 11 out of 17 patients suspected of as having sialoadenosis showed swelling exceeding 1.9 cm. Many patients who had been diagnosed as sialoadenosis cases by aspiration biopsies also showed swelling exceeding 1.9 cm. Our method is reproducible and we can objectively see recurrence of parotid swelling correlating with sialoadenosis. From these results, we can say if the patient has some underlying disease, and if his “index” is over 1.9, then there is a good possibility that he has sialoadenosis.
