Abstract
Background: US and CT imaging are the first line imaging modalities used to diagnose salivary glands lesions, so it is important to prioritize and dedicate more studies for better salivary lesions characterization.
Purpose of the study: This study aimed to evaluate the different salivary glands lesions using ultrasound and CT, and to compare their characteristics. Patients and methods: We prospectively evaluated 76 patients with 76 salivary lesions involving the parotid (57.9%), submandibular (34.2%) and sublingual (3%) salivary glands. US (using high frequency linear transducers 5—12 MHz) and CT imaging (using 64 multislice machine) were used. Using US, lesions were characterized according to echogenicity, homogeneity, shape, nature and Doppler vascularity. While using CT, lesions were characterized according to their density, homogeneity, shape, size (in cm), nature, enhancement pattern, as well as the presence of associated lymphadenopathy.
Results: According to our research, computed tomography had a 92% sensitivity, 85% specificity, 92% positive predictive value, 89% negative predictive value, and 89% accuracy rate for diagnosing salivary gland lesions in both homogeneous and heterogeneous groups. For the identification of salivary gland lesions, computed tomography also demonstrated 100%, 88%, 89%, 60%, and 100% sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value in the focal shape and diffuse shape groups respectively. Ultrasound had 70% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% positive predictive value, 47% negative predictive value, and 76% accuracy in diagnosing salivary gland lesions in the associated cervical lymph node. Additionally, it demonstrated that the main and final diagnoses of salivary gland lesions by US and CT did not differ significantly in terms of salivary gland lesion (p=0.987).
Conclusion: Ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) were reliable methods for diagnosing salivary gland lesions.
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