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Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Salivary Glands for Sjogren's Syndrome: Diagnostic and Monitoring Insights
Published on: October 13, 2023
Novel clinical phenotype-based stratification identifies distinct immunopathological and ultrasonographic signatures
Nan Xu1, Lian Cheng2, Yimin Ding1
1Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
Objectives:
To characterize glandular immune composition and structural involvement across clinically defined Sjögren's disease (SjD) subgroups-B cell active disease with low symptom burden (BALS), high systemic activity (HSA) and low systemic activity with high symptom burden (LSAHS)-by integrating quantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC) with salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS) and shear wave elastography (SWE).
Methods:
A total of 120 SjD patients were classified into BALS, HSA and LSAHS subgroups. Quantitative IHC was performed on labial salivary gland biopsy specimens for CD3⁺ T cells, CD20⁺ B cells and CD45⁺ leucocytes. SGUS was scored using the OMERACT system, and SWE-derived shear wave velocity was measured in major salivary glands. Group comparisons and Spearman correlation analyses were performed.
Results:
BALS patients showed more severe glandular involvement, with higher frequencies of focus score ≥3 and SGUS score ≥2. Quantitative IHC demonstrated increased CD20⁺ B cell infiltration in BALS compared with LSAHS. SWE revealed elevated parotid stiffness in BALS. In the overall cohort, parotid stiffness correlated positively with CD3⁺, CD20⁺ and CD45⁺ infiltration. Subgroup analyses showed that parotid stiffness was associated with CD20⁺ B cells in BALS, whereas correlations with CD3⁺ T cells and CD45⁺ leucocytes were observed only in LSAHS.
Conclusion:
SjD clinical phenotypes exhibit distinct immunopathological and structural features. BALS is characterized by greater B cell infiltration and more pronounced parotid involvement, whereas LSAHS shows a closer association between T cell infiltration and glandular stiffness. Integrating immunopathological profiling with ultrasonographic elastography may improve phenotype-based assessment of glandular involvement.
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