Advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques for structural and functional assessment of salivary glands

Vidmar, Jernej (author), Vovk, Andrej (author)

Background: Diagnostic paradigms for salivary gland disorders have undergone a radical transformation, shifting from purely morphological descriptions toward multi-parametric tissue characterization. This review evaluates the clinical efficacy of advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, specifically quantitative T2 mapping and arterial spin labelling (ASL), in order to provide objective biomarkers for glandular pathophysiology. The use of pseudocontinuous ASL (pCASL) for non-invasive perfusion assessment and multi-dynamic multi-echo (MDME) sequences for quantitative mapping was highlighted in a methodical synthesis of recent research. Quantitative T2 mapping demonstrates high diagnostic accuracy in identifying glandular dysfunction; patients with hyposalivation exhibit significantly elevated T2 relaxation times (mean 91.85 ± 8.24 ms) compared to healthy controls (mean 80.69 ± 6.42 ms, p < 0.0001). ASL imaging reveals that parotid glands in Sjögren’s syndrome are hyperemic at rest (59.2 ± 22.8 mL/min/100g) but shows dysfunctional microvascular regulation after stimulation. Furthermore, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values effectively differentiate pleomorphic adenomas (> 1.4 × 10–3 mm2/s) from malignant lesions. Conclusions: Advanced MRI provides robust, non-invasive metrics for monitoring radiation-induced damage and assessing the restorative impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). By facilitating the shift to precision radiology in head and neck medicine, these technologies greatly improve patient quality of life and therapeutic planning.

• Language: English
• Keywords: salivary glands, xerostomia, MRI, perfusion imaging, difusion imaging, hyperbaric oxygen, radiology, oncology
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 166-175
• Numbering: Vol. 60, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-185584
• UDC: 616-006
• ISSN on article: 1318-2099
• DOI: 10.2478/raon-2026-0025
• COBISS.SI-ID: 278642947
• Publication date in RUL: 11.08.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Radiology and oncology
• Shortened title: Radiol. oncol.
• Publisher: Slovenian Medical Society - Section of Radiology, Croatian Medical Association - Croatian Society of Radiology
• ISSN: 1318-2099
• COBISS.SI-ID: 32649472

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: žleze slinavke, kserostomija, magnetna resonanca (MR), perfuzijsko slikanje, difuzijsko slikanje, hiperbarični kisik

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P3-0019
• Name: Aplikativna in bazična fiziologija in patofiziologija v medicini