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Nuclear scanning tests use a special
camera to take pictures of certain tissues in the body after a radioactive
tracer (radionuclide or radioisotope) accumulates in the tissues to make them
visible. Each type of tissue that may be scanned (including bones,
organs, glands, and blood vessels) uses a different radioactive compound as
a tracer. The tracer remains in the body temporarily before it is eliminated
as waste, usually in the urine or stool (feces).
During a salivary gland scan, a
tracer called radioactive technetium pertechnetate is injected into a vein in the
arm. It travels through the bloodstream to the salivary glands, which normally
should take up the tracer and release it into the mouth. The scanning pictures
show the distribution of the tracer as it is taken up and released by the
salivary glands.
A salivary gland scan can help
determine the cause of dry mouth (xerostomia) or swelling in the major salivary
glands.
Salivary Gland Scan Results
The results of a salivary gland scan are
usually available within 2 days.
Salivary gland scan
Normal:
The
tracer accumulates evenly in the salivary glands and is released normally into the
mouth.
The tubes (ducts)
leading from the salivary
glands are not blocked.
Abnormal:
The tracer may not
accumulate evenly in the salivary glands. Areas of low accumulation may be
caused by a pocket of fluid (cyst), pocket of infection (abscess), or a tumor.
The tracer may not
flow normally from the salivary
glands into the mouth. This may be caused by a tumor pressing on
the duct, a stone in the duct, or inflammation of the duct.
Uneven accumulation of the tracer may
be caused by a condition that damages the salivary glands, such as Sjögren's syndrome.
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