title: Can ARFI elastometry of the salivary glands contribute to the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The diagnosis of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) rests on a converging set of clinical and laboratory findings. Salivary-gland ultrasonography (SGUS) was recently shown to assist in the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of pSS. Our objective here was to measure salivary-gland elasticity using Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) ultrasonography in patients with pSS and to compare the results to those obtained in healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  SGUS with ARFI elastometry was performed in 10 patients with pSS and 15 healthy controls. Ten impulses per gland were used for both submandibular and both parotid glands of each participant. Mean shear wave velocity (SWV) in m/s was compared between the patients and controls using the Mann-Whitney U test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the parotid glands, mean SWV was significantly higher in the pSS group than in the control group (2.335±0.315 vs 1.785±0.384, respectively; P=0.001). Mean SWV values for the submandibular glands were not significantly different between the patients and controls (1.812±0.308 vs 1.766±0.187, respectively; P=0.892).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ARFI elastometry may contribute to the diagnosis of pSS, as this noninvasive, fast, and inexpensive investigation can demonstrate abnormal architectural changes in the parotid glands.
authors.affiliation: Service de radiologie, CHU de la Cavale-Blanche, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29609 Brest, France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Samier-Guérin
authors.affiliation: Service de rhumatologie, CHU de la Cavale-Blanche, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29609 Brest, France; EA 2216, université Bretagne-Occidentale, BP 824, 29200 Brest, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saraux
authors.affiliation: Unité de médecine vasculaire, CHU de la Cavale-Blanche, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29609 Brest, France.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gestin
authors.affiliation: Service de rhumatologie, CHU de la Cavale-Blanche, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29609 Brest, France; EA 2216, université Bretagne-Occidentale, BP 824, 29200 Brest, France.
authors.forename: Divi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cornec
authors.affiliation: Service de rhumatologie, CHU de la Cavale-Blanche, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29609 Brest, France.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Marhadour
authors.affiliation: Service de rhumatologie, CHU de la Cavale-Blanche, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29609 Brest, France; EA 2216, université Bretagne-Occidentale, BP 824, 29200 Brest, France.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Devauchelle-Pensec
authors.affiliation: Unité de médecine vasculaire, CHU de la Cavale-Blanche, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29609 Brest, France.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bressollette
authors.affiliation: Service de radiologie, CHU de la Cavale-Blanche, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29609 Brest, France.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nonent
authors.affiliation: Service de rhumatologie, CHU de la Cavale-Blanche, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29609 Brest, France; Unité de médecine vasculaire, CHU de la Cavale-Blanche, boulevard Tanguy-Prigent, 29609 Brest, France; EA 2216, université Bretagne-Occidentale, BP 824, 29200 Brest, France. Electronic address: sandrine.jousse-joulin@chu-brest.fr.
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jousse-Joulin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
keywords: Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI); Elastometry; Salivary glands; Sjögren's syndrome