A comparative analysis of the clinical, sialographic, and pathologic findings in parotid disease.

In review of the clinical and sialographic ability to predict parotid pathology, it was found that the clinical exam was consistently more accurate. Sialographic findings and histopathology were compared in 119 patients who underwent 120 sialograms and subsequent parotidectomies. Sialography alone was able to diagnose a malignant tumor in only 8 per cent (1/13) of the cases. The sialogram proved most helpful for the clinician in the management of patients when the diagnosis was calculus, obstruction, or sialectasia. On the other hand, mass lesions in or adjacent to the parotid, diffuse enlargement of the gland, or conditions such as masseter muscle hypertrophy are probably better evaluated with newer CT techniques in conjunction with sialography or without sialography.