Thursday, June 3, 2010

Diagnostic Choices in Sjogren's Syndrome

Image found here.

How were you diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome?

In addition to lab work, did your doctor also order a specialized X-ray of the salivary glands (sialography), a biopsy of minor saliva glands in the lip (histopathology), or an ultrasound exam of the saliva glands?

Which would you choose if you were able to make the choice? 


Hm. Let's see. Do I want to have a surgeon clip a chunk out of my lip.......or.......a radiologist slide a tube up into my parotids and inject dye........OR - have a technician slather my cheek with a lubricant and then slide an ultrasound tool painlessly around on my cheek.......?


Well, duh. I'd go with the ultrasound any day. If I had my druthers. 


Here's the result of a study that would support that decision: 
OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the reliability and correlation of sialography, salivary gland biopsy, and ultrasonography for Sjögren syndrome (SS) and evaluated the usefulness of ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool for SS compared with sialography and histopathology........CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonography can be used as a diagnostic tool for SS, with its advantage of noninvasiveness and ease of use.
You can read an abstract of this study conducted by Hokkaido University Hospital Japan, and published in January 2010, here. 

3 comments:

Unknown said...

you are invited to frollow my blog

Vickie said...

Whoa, I wish I was given the ultrasound option. The lip biopsy was painful, had to be cauterized, and half of my lip is still numb 8 months later.

Thanks for keeping us informed, Julia!

BTW, how is your search for a new rheumy going?

Erika said...

Wow. This would have been an excellent option for someone like my then 15 yr. old DD. The biopsy wasn't easy on her. Hopefully the word will get out and more doctors will start using it.

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