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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging 2012; 22(04): 325-333
DOI: 10.4103/0971-3026.111487
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Pictorial essay: Salivary gland imaging

Rajul Rastogi
Yash Diagnostic Center, Yash Hospital and Research Center, Moradabad
,
Sumeet Bhargava
Department of Radiology and Imaging, Subharti Medical College, Meerut
,
Govindarajan Janardan Mallarajapatna
Department of Imaging and Interventions, Health Care Global Bangalore Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, Karnataka
,
Sudhir Kumar Singh
Department of ENT, Kothiwal Dental College and Research Center, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
› Author Affiliations Source of Support: Nill.
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Abstract

Salivary glands are the first organs of digestion secreting their digestive juices into the oral cavity. Parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands are the major paired salivary glands in the decreasing order of their size. In addition, multiple small minor salivary glands are noted randomly distributed in the upper aerodigestive tract, including paranasal sinuses and parapharyngeal spaces. The imaging is directed to the major salivary glands. Commonly used imaging methods include plain radiography and conventional sialography. Recently, high-resolution ultrasonography (HRUS) is being increasingly used for targeted salivary gland imaging. However, the advent of cross-sectional imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have revolutionized the imaging of salivary glands. This article illustrates the role of imaging in evaluating the variegated disease pattern of the major salivary glands.

Keywords

Computed tomography - imaging - magnetic resonance imaging - salivary glands


Publication History

Article published online:
04 October 2021

© 2012. Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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