Quantitative salivary gland scintigraphy.

OBJECTIVE Uptake of 99mTc-pertechnetate in salivary glands reflects intact salivary gland parenchyma. However, no standardized protocol for an accurate quantification of parenchymal function has been established so far. METHODS In this paper we report on a validated acquisition protocol supplying a normal database for standardized quantitative salivary gland scintigraphy. RESULTS The major advantage of salivary gland scintigraphy, as compared to other imaging modalities, is that both parenchymal function and excretion fraction of all four major salivary glands (i.e., parotid and submandibular glands) can be simultaneously quantified with a single intravenous injection. CONCLUSION Quantitative salivary gland scintigraphy is demonstrated to be a suitable imaging modality for research applications in evaluating the effects of radioprotective drugs on salivary glands. Salivary gland scintigraphy is easy to perform, reproducible and well-tolerated by the patient.