OBJECTIVETo study the feasibility of diagnosing parotid disease with magnetic resonance sialography (MRS) and to select the optimal scanning sequence.

METHODSTwenty-three patients with parotid gland disease and 5 normal adults received sialography using magnetic resonance imaging technique and several sequences (including IR-FSE, FSE, SS-IR-FSE, SS-FSE) were used. After first scanning, the patients were scanned respectively 3 and 10 minutes after buccal application of vitamin C. And MR images of duct obtained. The images of parotid duct system were analysed and evaluated according to their displaying effects. Qualitative diagnosis was made based on MRI and those diagnosis were compared with pathological diagnosis after operation.

RESULTSImages of MR sialography clearly displayed the main duct and its branches of parotid gland and the pathological changes of duct, such as narrow, expanded, stoppage. Of the scanning sequences, IR-FSE was superior to others in manifesting the parotid gland duct (P < 0.05). The performance of images after being given vitamin C did not significantly improve the displaying effect. The accurate rate of qualitative diagnosis was 95.6%.

CONCLUSIONSMR sialography can clearly display the parotid ducts and their pathological changes. The accurate rate of qualitative diagnosis of parotid disease was higher than that X-ray sialography.