Abstract

Anil Ahuja, KT Wong, Yolanda YP Lee, Ann D King
Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Organ Imaging, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong

Numerous pathologies involve the salivary glands and may clinically present as facial / neck lump, diffuse swelling or pain. Salivary gland lesions include calculus disease, acute or chronic inflammatory lesions, neoplasms and vascular lesions. A detailed clinical history and physical examination usually provide the clinician a reasonable clinical diagnosis. However, imaging is often necessary to confirm the clinical findings, provide an imaging diagnosis and accurately map the anatomical extent of the abnormality. Although high-resolution ultrasound (combined with fine needle aspiration cytology) is an ideal initial imaging modality of choice, it does not evaluate the deep lobe of the parotid gland and the anatomic extent of large deep seated tumours. It helps in tissue characterization of lesions and to select patients who may require further imaging such as contrast sialography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is particularly useful in assessing large parotid lesions and depicting involvement of deep lobe of parotid gland.

The aim of this presentation is to discuss the role of various imaging modalities in the assessment of salivary gland diseases and the imaging features of commonly encountered salivary gland lesions.