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Abstract Background The diagnosis of sialadenitis, the most frequent disease of the salivary glands, is challenging when the symptoms are mild. In such cases, biomarkers can be used as definitive diagnostic indicators. Recently, biomarkers have been developed by extracting and analyzing pathological and morphological features from medical imaging. This study aimed to establish a diagnostic reference for sialadenitis based on the quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarker IDEAL-IQ and assess its accuracy. Methods Patients with sialadenitis (n = 46) and control subjects (n = 90) that underwent MRI were selected. Considering that the IDEAL-IQ value is a sensitive fat fractional marker to the body mass index (BMI), all subjects were also categorized as under-, normal-, and overweight. The fat fraction of parotid gland in the control and sialadenitis groups were obtained using IDEAL-IQ map. The values from the subjects in the control and sialadenitis groups were compared in each BMI category. For comparison, t-tests and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed. Results The IDEAL-IQ fat faction of the control and sialadenitis glands were 38.57% and 23.69%, respectively, and the differences were significant. The values were significantly lower in the sialadenitis group (P), regardless of the BMI types. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.83 (cut-off value: 28.72) in patients with sialadenitis. The AUC for under-, normal-, and overweight individuals were 0.78, 0.81, and 0.92, respectively. Conclusions The fat fraction marker based on the IDEAL-IQ method was useful as an objective indicator for diagnosing sialadenitis. This marker would aid less-experienced clinicians in diagnosing sialadenitis.

Abstract Background The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intraductal irrigation using normal saline in chronic obstructive sialadenitis. Methods Patients who had one of the following symptoms were recruited: pain, swelling, stiffness, and dry mouth. A total of 58 salivary glands in 33 patients were diagnosed as having sialadenitis using sialography and ultrasonography. The patients were divided into two groups (swelling group and dry mouth group), according to the major complaint. Repeated intraductal irrigation was performed on each gland. Difference of symptom severity evaluated using numerical rating scale (NRS), and ductal width measured using ultrasonography were compared between the two groups. Results The average NRS score was significantly decreased from 6.0 to 3.3 after 3–5 visits of intraductal irrigation (P