Aplasia of the major salivary glands is a extremely rare congenital disease and may be partial or total, unilateral or bilateral, and solitary or associated with other developmental abnormalities. We reported two cases of aplasia of the major salivary glands with xerostomia, diagnosed on MR imaging.
The first patient was a 33-year-old man with xerostomia and thirst. There was no secretion of saliva from the orifice of the parotid gland, and both resting and stimulated saliva flow rate were decreased. Bilateral absence of the parotid glands was confirmed by MR imaging; the glands were replaced by fat. In addition, a 99mTc scintiscan confirmed the absence of uptake into the parotid gland.
The second patient was a 40-year-old woman with xerostomia and multiple dental caries. She was aware of a sensation of oral dryness for 30 years. No saliva was delivered from the orifice of either the submandibular or parotid glands, and the saliva flow was decreased. Bilateral absence of the parotid and submandibular glands was observed on MR imaging.
