ABSTRACT
The salivary gland is a platform for a broad spectrum of benign and malignant tumors that originate from the gland and nongland tissue components, and for inflammatory diseases that occur within and outside of the gland. In addition, as an excretory organ, the salivary gland shows morphological and functional responses to various disorders associated with metabolic and
systemic diseases. Although clinical examinations may suggest the presence of a salivary gland disease, these examinations are often insufficient for detecting and characterizing the disease. However, imaging examination is a useful tool for that purpose and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging may be the first choice because of its high tissue contrast and the various aspects of
Takashi Nakamura and Misa Sumi
CONTENTS
15.1 Function and Innervation of the Salivary Glands .................................................................................................. 356 15.2 MR Imaging of Normal Salivary Glands................................................................................................................. 356
15.2.1 Parotid Gland ................................................................................................................................................. 356 15.2.2 Submandibular Gland .................................................................................................................................. 358 15.2.3 Sublingual Gland ........................................................................................................................................... 359 15.2.4 Minor Salivary Glands.................................................................................................................................. 360
15.3 MR Imaging of Salivary Gland Tumors ................................................................................................................... 362 15.3.1 Conventional MR Imaging .......................................................................................................................... 363 15.3.2 Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Imaging ............................................................................................... 368 15.3.3 Diffusion-Weighted Imaging ....................................................................................................................... 372 15.3.4 Intravoxel Incoherent Motion Imaging .......................................................................................................374
