title: Optical coherence tomography identifies lower labial salivary gland surface density in cystic fibrosis.
abstract: The labial minor salivary glands (LSGs) are easily accessible mucus-secreting structures of the alimentary tract that may provide new information on the basis of gastrointestinal complications of cystic fibrosis (CF). It was shown that they are destructed in the course of cystic fibrosis. We employed wide-field, micrometer resolution in vivo optical coherence tomography to assess the surface density of LSGs in 18 patients with CF and 18 healthy subjects. The median LSGs' surface densities in CF patients, and in the control group were 4.32 glands/cm2 and 6.58 glands/cm2, respectively (p = 0.006; Mann-Whitney U test). A lower LSG surface density is a previously unrecognized CF-related pathology of the alimentary tract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, ul. Szpitalna 27/33, 60-572 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Jan K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun, Poland.
authors.forename: Ireneusz
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grulkowski
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun, Poland.
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karnowski
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun, Poland.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wojtkowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, ul. Szpitalna 27/33, 60-572 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Jaroslaw
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walkowiak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008046:Lip / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000473:pathology*; D013552:Swine; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D055815:Young Adult