THE FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF THE PAROTID GLANDS IN HEALTHY SUBJECTS USING THE NOVEL SHEAR-WAVE PLUS ELASTOGRAPHY AND VISCOSITY PLUS TECHNIQUES

• Published in: Ultrasound in medicine & biology Vol. 48; p. S55
• Main Authors: Muntean, Delia, Lenghel, Manuela, Balea-Petea, Raluca, Ciurea, Anca, Solomon, Carolina, Dudea, Sorin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 2022
• Subjects: functional assessment; healthy subjects; parotid glands; Radiology; ShearWave Elastography; Viscosity; Viscosity; ShearWave Elastography; functional assessment; parotid glands; healthy subjects
• ISSN: 0301-5629; 1879-291X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2022.04.160

Biological soft tissues are intrinsically rather viscoelastic than entirely elastic. The shear wave propagation process proved to be influenced not only by elasticity, which is correlated to shear wave velocity but also by viscosity, which is correlated to the shear wave dispersion. This study aimed to assess the parotid glands (PG) in a group of healthy subjects using the novel 2D Shear-Wave Elastography PLUS (2D-SWE.PLUS) and Viscosity PLUS (Vi.PLUS) before and after stimulation with a sialagogue agent. The study group included a total of 35 healthy volunteers (mean age 28, 68% females) prospectively examined between December 2021 and January 2022. The viscosity and elasticity of both PG were measured before and after the stimulation of the salivary secretions with lemon juice, using the new Aixplorer MACH 30 ultrasound system (SuperSonic Imagine, Aix-en-Provence, France) equipped with a curvilinear C6-1X transducer. The mean value of three valid measurements was considered (quantified in Pa.s for viscosity and kPa for elasticity). PG presented a mean basal viscosity of 2.09±0.18 Pa.s (assessed with Vi.PLUS) and a mean basal elasticity of 11.39±2.07 kPa (assessed with 2D-SWE.PLUS). A good correlation between Vi.PLUS and 2D-SWE.PLUS measurements was found (r=0.73, p<0.001). One minute following lemon juice ingestion, the PG mean viscosity value was significantly higher (2.43±0.22 Pa.s, p<0.001), while the PG mean elasticity value presented a lower increment (12.73±2.37 kPa, p=0.03). Vi.PLUS represents an innovative and useful non-invasive imaging technique to assess the function of the parotid gland in healthy subjects, reflected by the parenchymal changes of viscosity values after salivary stimulation.