Pilocarpine for the treatment of salivary glands' impairment caused by radioiodine therapy for thyroid cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of single-dose pilocarpine hydrochloride 5 mg on the whole unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow in patients suffering from thyroid cancer treated with radioiodine therapy, and to investigate the changes in vital signs during the treatment.


METHODS
Five such patients were referred with complaints of dry mouth, rampant caries, and pain in the parotid gland region or history of chronic recurrent suppurative sialodenitis. A single dose of 5 mg pilocarpine hydrochloride was administered to each patient and blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature and salivary secretion rate were monitored at 1, 2 and 3 h.


RESULTS
A significant elevation of unstimulated and stimulated saliva flow rate was observed in four patients without significant alteration of the monitored vital signs.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with pilocarpine hydrochloride may be beneficial in the case of impaired salivary function in patients treated with radioiodine.
Aframian
D J
DJ
Salivary Gland Clinic, Department of Oral Medicine, The Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel. daframian@yahoo.com
Helcer
M
M
Livni
D
D
Markitziu
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001831:Body Temperature; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010305:Parotid Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010862:Pilocarpine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D012636:Secretory Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D012793:Sialadenitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000209:etiology
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists; D010862:Pilocarpine