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Updated: May 30, 2026
Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Salivary Glands for Sjogren's Syndrome: Diagnostic and Monitoring Insights
Published on: October 13, 2023
Role of high resolution ultrasound in parotid lesions in children
Kushaljit Singh Sodhi1, Murray Bartlett, Nirmal Kumar Prabhu
1Department of Medical Imaging, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia. sodhiks@gmail.com
Insights
Ultrasonography is a sensitive tool for detecting parotid gland abnormalities in children. Nearly half of pediatric ultrasounds revealed conditions like parotitis, tumors, and cysts, highlighting ultrasound
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Radiology
- Medical Imaging
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- The parotid gland is a common site for pediatric pathologies.
- Accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective management of parotid gland conditions in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the spectrum of sonographic abnormalities of the parotid gland in children.
- To illustrate common and rare parotid gland pathologies identified via ultrasound in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 298 pediatric parotid ultrasounds over five years.
- Analysis of imaging findings and medical records by two pediatric radiologists.
- Inclusion of children aged 24 days to 16 years.
Main Results:
- Nearly half (50.4%) of the ultrasounds revealed parotid gland abnormalities.
- Common findings included acute parotitis (36%), hemangioma (10.6%), and sialadenosis (2.6%).
- Other identified lesions included recurrent parotitis, abscesses, lymphatic malformations, and tumors like Hodgkin's disease and pleomorphic adenoma.
Conclusions:
- High-resolution ultrasound is the primary imaging modality for evaluating pediatric parotid gland abnormalities.
- Ultrasound demonstrates high sensitivity in detecting a wide range of salivary gland pathologies in children.
Purpose:
A pictorial review of the spectrum of sonographic abnormalities of the parotid gland in children is presented.
Methods:
Two pediatric radiologists performed retrospective review of medical records and imaging findings of all parotid ultrasounds performed in 298 children in the age range of 24 days to 16 years, over a five-year period.
Results:
The lesions varied from diffuse glandular abnormalities to discrete solid and cystic lesions. Of the 298 studies reviewed, 148 (49.6%) were normal results, while 150 (50.4%) had abnormalities of parotid gland identified at ultrasonography. These included acute parotitis in 54 (36%) cases, recurrent parotitis in 12 (8%), and intra-parotid abscess in 12 (8%) cases. Among the tumors, haemangioma was the commonest, identified in 16 (10.6%) cases, followed by lymphatic malformation in 3 (2%), Hodgkin's disease 2 (1.3%) and pleomorphic adenoma (1 case). Sialadenosis was identified in 4 (2.6%) cases. Abnormality of the superficial soft tissues was also seen in 25 cases. 12 cases had a lymphatic malformation of the neck, involving the parotid, while 11 cases had a vascular lesion of the cheek, but not involving the parotids directly.
Conclusion:
High resolution ultrasound remains the first-line imaging modality for evaluation of the parotid gland. It is sensitive in detection of salivary gland abnormalities.
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