Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Apr 11;25(1):525.
doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-05873-y.

Quantitative evaluation of parotid gland dysfunction in patients with hyposalivation using magnetic resonance imaging mapping technique : Quantification of Parotid gland function using MRI

Chena Lee  1 , Ari Lee  1   2 , Yoon Joo Choi  1 , Sang-Sun Han  1   3 , Hee Woo Cho  4 , Kug Jin Jeon  5
Affiliations

Quantitative evaluation of parotid gland dysfunction in patients with hyposalivation using magnetic resonance imaging mapping technique : Quantification of Parotid gland function using MRI

Chena Lee et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) employing the multi-dynamic multi-echo (MDME) technique as a diagnostic modality for evaluating glandular dysfunction in patients with hyposalivation.

Methods: The MDME technique generated T1, T2, and proton density (PD) maps of the parotid gland, allowing for the simultaneous acquisition of values from the respective mappings. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the hyposalivation and control groups, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed.

Results: A total of 71 patients who underwent MDME MRI were reviewed and categorized into hyposalivation patients (n = 32) and healthy controls (n = 25). The average T1, T2 and PD value of the gland in the hyposalivation group were 606.92 ms, 91.85 ms, and 82.52 pu, respectively, whereas those in the control group were 628.08 ms, 80.69 ms, and 91.12 pu, respectively. The T2 and PD values were significantly different between the hyposalivation and control groups. The cut-off T2 value was 85.75 ms (AUC = 0.8131, p < 0.0001) and the cut-off PD value was 81.55 pu (AUC = 0.7588, p = 0.0009).

Conclusions: T2 and PD values derived from the MDME technique demonstrated strong potential for detecting parotid gland dysfunction in hyposalivation patients. These findings suggest that MDME-based quantitative MRI mapping shows promise in evaluating hyposalivation of the parotid gland and could become a valuable diagnostic tool in clinical settings.

Keywords: Dry mouth; Hyposalivation; Magnetic resonance imaging; Multi-dynamic multi-echo sequence; Relaxation map; Salivary gland.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Owing to the retrospective nature of this study, the requirement for informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board of Yonsei University Dental Hospital. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Yonsei University Dental Hospital and was conducted in accordance with the relevant guidelines and ethical regulations. Consent for publication: Not applicable, as no identifiable personal data is included in the manuscript. Conflict of interest: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(A) Schematic view of the region-of-interest (ROI) selection on a quantitative map using the multi-dynamic multi-echo technique. ROIs of 0.1 cm2 with a square shape were established on the master quantitative map. (B) The T1 and T2 and proton density (PD) values were extracted simultaneously from each ROI and the average value was used for analysis. (ms, miliseconds; pu, percentage units)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Flowchart showing patient selection and screening process. MRI, magnetic resonance imaging
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comparison between patients with hyposalivation and control participants with respect to the T1 and T2 and proton density (PD) values. *Mann–Whitney U-test, 95% confidence interval. (ms, miliseconds; pu, percentage units)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Receiver operating characteristic curve of T2 and proton density (PD) values for diagnosis of hyposalivation gland
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Villa A, Connell CL, Abati S. Diagnosis and management of Xerostomia and hyposalivation. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2014;11:45–51. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hummelsheim MZ, Hamacher S, Hagemeier A, et al. Care need and dry mouth as risk indicators for impaired taste and smell. Sci Rep. 2021;11:20419. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Navazesh M, Kumar SK. Measuring salivary flow: challenges and opportunities. J Am Assoc. 2008;139:S35–40. - PubMed
    1. Fallon BS, Chase TJ, Cooke EM, et al. The use of BokaFlo™ instrument to measure salivary flow. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21:1–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Löfgren CD, Wickström C, Sonesson M et al. A systematic review of methods to diagnose oral dryness and salivary gland function. BMC Oral Health. 2012;12:1-16.6. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources