Gougerot-Sjögren syndrome. Functional study of the salivary glands by scintigraphy]

One-hundred and twenty patients with sicca syndrome, connective tissue disease or chronic graft-versus-host disease were investigated in the Saint-Louis Hospital Department of Nuclear Medicine. Technetium scanning of the salivary glands was performed in all patients. The results of the scintigraphic study were closely correlated with clinical and histological data in patients with Sjögren's syndrome. This method, which accurately quantifies the salivary function without danger nor discomfort to the patients, has a number of advantages: (a) it is sensitive enough to detect minimal salivary gland dysfunction; (b) it differentiates between parotid gland and submandibular gland involvement and demonstrates asymmetry in pathological processes; (c) it helps in following up patients with Sjögren's disease and in assessing the results of immunosuppressive or anti-inflammatory treatment.