Sialoendoscopy: a viable treatment for I(131) induced sialoadenitis

Ultrasound and Sialendoscopy Findings in Radioactive Iodine-Induced Sialadenitis: Comparative Analysis and Possible Impact on Management

BACKGROUND

To assess the correlation/association between ultrasound and sialendoscopy findings in radioactive iodine therapy-induced sialadenitis (RAIS).

METHODS

Patients presenting with RAIS were investigated with ultrasound and sialendoscopy. Four pathologic ultrasound parameters and seven pathologic sialendoscopy parameters were retrospectively assessed. Correlations/associations between ultrasound and sialendoscopy findings and associations between the changes between the first and last ultrasound and sialendoscopy findings were assessed separately for the parotid (PG) and submandibular glands (SMG).

RESULTS

Sixty-seven patients were included. In the first examination, 107 glands were investigated (PGs 88.8%, SMGs 11.21%), and in the last examination, 64 glands were investigated (90.6% PGs, 9.4% SMGs). Highly significant positive associations were observed between the severity or category of ultrasound and sialendoscopy findings for first and last examinations for PGs (both p = 0.0001) and SMGs (p = 0.002; p = 0.037). Duct dilation had a significant negative association with the sialendoscopy findings for PGs in the first and last examinations (both p = 0.0001), but not for SMGs. Comparison of changes in the ultrasound and sialendoscopy findings between the first and last examinations showed a significant positive association for PGs (p = 0.0001) but not for SMGs.

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound and sialendoscopy findings for the parenchyma and duct system in RAIS showed significant associations/correlations and can be useful for effective management in RAIS.

Optimal administration time of vitamin C after 131I therapy in differentiated thyroid cancer based on propensity score matching

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the protection of the salivary glands by vitamin C administration at 2 and 24 h after an initial treatment using iodine-131 (131I) in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and examined the optimal administration time of vitamin C to protect the salivary glands from radiation injury.

Method

The clinical data of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma who had been treated with 131I in the Department of Nuclear Medicine in Shanxi Bethune Hospital from January 2014 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The propensity score matching method was adopted to match patients who received the administration of vitamin C at 2 h with those receiving administration at 24 h. A total of 230 pairs/460 patients were enrolled in the study. The chi-squared (χ2) or Fisher's exact test was used to compare the indicators representing the incidence of salivary gland injury between the two groups.

Results

The incidence of salivary gland injury (17.39%) with acidic substances at 2 h was lower compared with administration at 24 h (26.96%). The incidence of acute salivary gland injury (15.22%) and chronic salivary gland injury (26.09%) in the 24-h group were higher than those in the 2-h group (4.78% and 18.26%, respectively). The differences in the left submandibular gland concentrate index and right submandibular gland concentrate index were statistically significant before and after treatment in both the 2 and the 24-h groups; these functions had been impaired after treatment.

Conclusions

Following treatment with 131I, the protective effect of acidic substances administered at 2 and 24 h on the salivary glands were different. The incidence of salivary gland injury in the 2 h acid stimulation group was lower than in the 24 h acid stimulation group. The present study revealed that 131I treatment did cause some injury to the salivary glands and that the protective effect of administering vitamin C at 2 and 24 h may be limited. Accordingly, protection against salivary gland injury should be conducted using comprehensive measures.

Quality of life after sialendoscopy: prospective non-randomized study

BACKGROUND

The symptomatic (swelling and pain) salivary gland obstructions are caused by sialolithiasis and salivary duct stenosis, negatively affecting quality of life (QOL), with almost all candidates for clinical measures and minimally invasive sialendoscopy. The impact of sialendoscopy treatment on the QOL has been little addressed nowadays. The objective is to prospectively evaluate the impact of sialendoscopy on the quality of life of patients undergoing sialendoscopy due to benign salivary obstructive diseases, measured through QOL questionnaires of xerostomia degree, the oral health impact profile and post sialendoscopy satisfaction questionnaires.

RESULT

37 sialendoscopies were included, most young female; there were 64.5% sialolithiasis and 35.4% post-radioiodine; with 4.5 times/week painful swelling symptoms and 23.5 months symptom duration. The pre- and post-sialendoscopy VAS values were: 7.42 to 1.29 (p < 0.001); 86.5% and 89.2% were subjected to sialendoscopy alone and endoscopic dilatation respectively; 80.6% reported improved symptoms after sialendoscopy in the sialolithiasis clinic (p < 0.001). The physical pain and psychological discomfort domain scores were mostly impacted where sialendoscopy provided relief and improvement (p < 0.001). We found a positive correlation between sialendoscopy and obstructive stone disease (p < 0.001) and no correlation in sialendoscopy satisfaction in xerostomia patients (p = 0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

We found improved symptoms with overall good satisfaction after sialendoscopy correlated with stones; and a negative correlation between xerostomia. Our findings support the evident indication of sialendoscopy for obstructive sialolithiasis with a positive impact on QOL and probably a relative time-dependent indication for stenosis/other xerostomia causes that little improved QOL satisfaction.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

2b-Prospective non-randomized study.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

WHO Universal Trial Number (UTN): U1111-1247-7028; Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (ReBeC): RBR-6p8zfs.

Sialadenitis as a complication of radioiodine therapy in patients with thyroid cancer: where do we stand?

PURPOSE

This study aims to elaborate on the current knowledge concerning the mechanism, frequency, clinical manifestations, diagnostic procedures, prevention, and management of radioactive iodine (RAI)-induced sialadenitis in patients receiving treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

METHODS

A review of the literature was carried out through the " www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed " database focusing on the results of the past decade.

RESULTS

The high concentration of RAI in the salivary glands results in high beta radiation exposure of the striated duct cells and stem cells. This exposure leads to acute and/or chronic sialadenitis with obstructive symptoms and progressive loss of salivary gland function and xerostomia, with severe impact on patients' quality of life. No standard diagnostic method has been established. As far as prevention is concerned, many approaches have been proposed, such as sialogogues, local massage, vitamin E, and amifostine administration. Although there is no unanimity as to their effectiveness, the use of sialogogues is recommended. Treatment includes conservative drug therapy and sialendoscopy when necessary.

CONCLUSION

RAI-induced sialadenitis has a major impact on patients' quality of life. Due to the good prognosis of DTC, the reduction of sialadenitis and its prognosis, prevention, and treatment constitute a priority for the overall treatment of these patients. Further studies that will establish a coherent treatment protocol for this condition are necessary.

Salivary and lacrimal dysfunction after radioactive iodine for differentiated thyroid cancer: American Head and Neck Society Endocrine Surgery Section and Salivary Gland Section joint multidisciplinary clinical consensus statement of otolaryngology, ophthalmology, nuclear medicine and endocrinology

BACKGROUND

Postoperative radioactive iodine (RAI) administration is widely utilized in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. While beneficial in select patients, it is critical to recognize the potential negative sequelae of this treatment. The prevention, diagnosis, and management of the salivary and lacrimal complications of RAI exposure are addressed in this consensus statement.

METHODS

A multidisciplinary panel of experts was convened under the auspices of the American Head and Neck Society Endocrine Surgery and Salivary Gland Sections. Following a comprehensive literature review to assess the current best evidence, this group developed six relevant consensus recommendations.

RESULTS

Consensus recommendations on RAI were made in the areas of patient assessment, optimal utilization, complication prevention, and complication management.

CONCLUSION

Salivary and lacrimal complications secondary to RAI exposure are common and need to be weighed when considering its use. The recommendations included in this statement provide direction for approaches to minimize and manage these complications.

[Inflammation grading and sialoendoscopic treatment of 131I radioiodine-induced sialadenitis]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the inflammation grading of ¹³¹I radioiodine-induced sialadenitis based upon sialoendoscopic and sialographic appearances, and to evaluate the results of sialoendoscopic intervention.

METHODS

The patients diagnosed with ¹³¹I radioiodine-induced sialadenitis and underwent sialoendoscopic exploration and intervention procedures in Peking University Hospital of Stomatology from Nov. 2012 to Oct. 2018 were included in this study. The appearances of sialogaphy and sialoendoscopy were analyzed and classified. The treatment options included irrigation with saline and dexamethasone and mechanical dilatation by sialoendoscope. The patients were followed up after treatment.

RESULTS

Forty-two patients with ¹³¹I radioiodine-induced sialadenitis were included. There were 5 males and 37 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 1 ∶7.4. Symptoms included recurrent swelling and pain in the parotid glands, and dry mouth. Sialography showed stenosis in the main duct,and in some cases nonvisua-lization of the branches. Sialoendoscopy showed narrowing of the main duct, and the branch duct atresia was seen. The appearances of sialogaphy and sialoendoscopy were analyzed and classified into 3 groups: (1) Mild inflammation: stenosis and ectasia occurred in the main duct, whereas the 0.9 mm sialoendoscope could pass through easily. (2) Moderate inflammation: one point of severe stricture could be seen in the main duct where 0.9 mm sialoendoscope could not be passed through. (3) Severe inflammation: two points or more of severe strictures or diffused strictures occurred in the main duct. Thirty-three patients with 65 affected glands were examined by both sialography and sialoendoscopy. Eight glands were classified as mild inflammation, 23 glands moderate inflammation, and 34 glands severe inflammation. The duration of follow-up ranged from 3-72 months. The clinical results were evaluated as good in 22 glands, fair in 22 glands, and poor in 19 glands, with an overall effective rate of 69.8% (44/63).

CONCLUSION

The clinical, sialographic and sialoendoscopic appearances of ¹³¹I radioiodine-induced sialadenitis showed their characteristics. We proposed an inflammation grading standard for the ¹³¹I radioiodine-induced sialadenitis based on the appearances of sialography and sialoendoscopy. Sialoendoscopy can significantly alleviate the clinical symptoms, which is an effective therapy, and better for early lesions.

Preliminary study on the efficacy of xerostomia treatment with sialocentesis targeting thyroid disease patients given radioiodine therapy

Background

Radioiodine therapy has been widely used for thyroid disease patients, but hyposalivation and xerostomia may occur in 10~30% of patients. Sialocentesis is a procedure that removes inflammatory substances in the salivary duct and expands the duct for the secretion and delivery of saliva. In this study, thyroid disease patients treated with radioactive iodine were selected among the patients with xerostomia who visited the hospital, and the effect of sialocentesis was compared and analyzed. And then, comparison between the radioiodine therapy-experienced group and the non-radioiodine therapy-experienced group was conducted.

Results

In this study, we studied xerostomia patients who underwent radioiodine therapy due to thyroid diseases and who underwent sialocentesis at the Korea University Anam Hospital. Sialocentesis is conducted by one surgeon. The study also compares the clinical symptoms before and after the surgery. After the procedure, the discomfort due to xerostomia was reduced, and the symptom was improved effectively.

Conclusions

The results of this study showed that sialocentesis has a clinical effect in the treatment of xerostomia, which is a side effect of radioiodine therapy. In addition, the possibility of further clinical application of sialocentesis in the future is found.

Initial clinical experience performing sialendoscopy for salivary gland protection in patients undergoing 225Ac-PSMA-617 RLT

PURPOSE

The main side effect of prostate-specific membrane antigen targeting alpha therapy (PSMA TAT) is dry mouth syndrome. Inflammation of the salivary glands and consequent reduced salivary function have been reported in patients after radioiodine therapy. The beneficial effects of sialendoscopy on radiation-induced inflammation in tissue are well known. Thus sialendoscopy with dilatation, saline irrigation and steroid injections (prednisolone) was performed before and after ²²⁵Ac-PSMA-617 TAT to reduce inflammatory effects in the salivary glands and to improve or prevent xerostomia.

METHODS

Eleven men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mean age 68.5 years, range 58-80 years) underwent sialendoscopy, dilatation, saline irrigation and steroid injection of both submandibular and both parotid glands before or after every cycle of ²²⁵Ac-PSMA-617 TAT. Sialendoscopy and steroid injection were performed by a senior ENT physician. Quality of life was evaluated using two health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaires, the Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ) and the Xerostomia Inventory (XI) before and 3 months after the intervention.

RESULTS

In all 11 patients both parotid and both submandibular glands were affected by radiation sialadenitis and sialendoscopy was performed. The patients experienced no complications after sialendoscopy, and showed a significant improvement in HRQOL as measured using the XQ and XI. After sialendoscopy the XQ score decreased significantly from 77.7 ± 13.6 to 42.7 ± 14.8 (p = 0.003) and the XI score decreased from 44.5 ± 6.9 to 25.8 ± 12.8 (p = 0.003). Due to the limited number of patients we only report tendencies.

CONCLUSION

Sialendoscopy with dilatation, saline irrigation and steroid injection had beneficial effects on salivary gland function and HRQOL in patients undergoing ²²⁵Ac-PSMA-617 RLT. However, even with sialadenoscopic support after multiple cycles of TAT, salivary gland function was reduced and xerostomia was present. Therefore, not only inflammation but also the direct effect of radiation is a putative cause of dry mouth. Further research is necessary to determine the main side effects of PSMA TAT.

Interventional sialendoscopy for radioiodine-induced sialadenitis: quo vadis?

Salivary gland toxicity is a common adverse effect of radioactive iodine (¹³¹I) for the treatment of thyroid cancers with a prevalence ranging from 2% to 67% of the ¹³¹I exposed population. Recently, sialendoscopy has been introduced as an attractive diagnostic and therapeutic tool for management of patients with radioiodine-induced sialadenitis that is unresponsive to standard medical treatments. The objective of the current review was to assess the impact of this procedure on outcomes in patients suffering from radioiodine sialadenitis. Overall, eight studies were included and 122 patients underwent 264 sialendoscopic procedures. Duct stenosis and mucous plugs were observed in 85.7% of endoscopic findings, supporting the role of ductal obstruction in the pathophysiology of radioiodine sialadenitis. In total, 89.3% of patients experienced complete or partial resolution of sialadenitis recurrences without any major adverse events, and parotidectomy was advocated in only 1 case. However, outcomes mainly concerned subjective reports and only two clinical experiences evaluated objective measurement with dissimilar results. Limited to few studies, xerostomia and obstructive symptoms responded differently after sialendoscopy. The optimal timing of salivary gland videoendoscopy needs to be further analysed in order to define the best management of radioiodine-induced obstructive sialadenitis.

Sialendoscopy in the Management of Radioiodine Induced Sialadenitis: A Systematic Review

Objectives:

Salivary gland dysfunction as a consequence of radioiodide ablation is present in as many as two-thirds of patients, and unfortunately, many of these individuals do not respond to conservative measures. Sialendoscopy as a minimally invasive therapeutic modality may have utility in the treatment of radioiodide induced sialadenitis (RAIS). Our aim was to explore whether sialendoscopy resulted in clinical improvement in patients with RAIS.

Methods:

A systematic review of studies on sialendoscopy for RAIS was conducted using MEDLINE database, Embase, and Cochrane Library. The outcomes of interest included the proportion of patients demonstrating clinical improvement after intervention, patient demographics, radiation dose, specific procedural variations, specific salivary gland, failure rate, and recurrence.

Results:

Eight studies met inclusion criteria. Data reviewed showed an increased predilection of parotid sialadenitis relative to submandibular gland sialadenitis. All but 2 studies employed sialendoscopy only after failure of conservative measures. An overall rate of clinical improvement ranging from 75% to 100% was reported.

Conclusion:

This systematic review encompassing 122 patients represents the largest pooled sample to date of patients undergoing sialendoscopy for RAIS. Sialendoscopy represents an invaluable minimally invasive modality that may obviate the need for more invasive surgery as intervention was associated with a high success rate.

Sialoendoscopy combined with an internal stent and postoperative massage as a comprehensive treatment of delayed I131-induced parotitis

A common complication of radioiodine (I¹³¹) treatment of thyroid cancer is parotitis. Here we describe our clinical experience in treating delayed I¹³¹-induced parotitis using sialoendoscopy together with an internal stent and postoperative massage. In this retrospective cohort study we reviewed 32 patients who were treated in that way under general anaesthesia between July 2010 and March 2015. Their age, sex, and the time to development of the parotitis were collected from the hospital's database. All patients were evaluated using a visual analogue scale (VAS), sialography, and computed tomography preoperatively. The analyses of VAS scores were made during postoperative follow-up visits. We used the paired Student's t test and one-way ANOVA to assess the significance of differences, and probabilities of < 0.05 were accepted as significant. The mean (SD) age of the 32 patients was 50 (11) years, and they developed symptoms of delayed parotitis after a mean (SD) of 12 (11) months. The mean time between treatment with I¹³¹ and sialoendoscopy was 26 (10) months. Ductal stenosis was the most common sialoendoscopic feature, together with mucous plugs and fibrosis. Fifty of the 56 ducts were successfully dilated by sialoendoscopy, and VAS scores significantly decreased from a preoperative 7.3 (1.1) to a postoperative 3.3 (2.1) (p=0.000) during follow-up of 3 - 41 months. Sialoendoscopic interventions combined with an internal stent and postoperative massage may be optimal comprehensive treatment for delayed I¹³¹-induced parotitis.

Radioiodine Treatment and Thyroid Hormone Suppression Therapy for Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Adverse Effects Support the Trend toward Less Aggressive Treatment for Low-Risk Patients

Over the past decades, the incidence of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) has steadily increased, with especially a growing number of low-risk patients. Whereas DTC used to be treated rather aggressively, it is now acknowledged that aggressive treatment does not affect outcome for low-risk patients and that it can induce adverse effects. In this review an overview of the most clinically relevant adverse effects of radioiodine treatment and thyroid hormone suppression therapy (THST) is presented, and the trend toward less aggressive treatment for low-risk patients is outlined. Salivary gland dysfunction occurs in roughly 30% of patients, and is probably due to the concentration of radioiodine in the salivary glands by the sodium/iodide symporter. Beta radiation from radioiodine can result in sialoadenitis and eventually fibrosis and loss of salivary function. Furthermore, patients can experience bone marrow dysfunction following radioiodine treatment. Although this is in general subclinical and transient, patients that receive very high cumulative radioiodine doses may be at risk for more severe bone marrow dysfunction. THST can induce adverse cardiovascular effects in patients with DTC, such as diastolic and systolic dysfunction, and also adverse vascular and prothrombotic effects have been described. Finally, the effects of THST on bone formation and resorption are outlined; especially postmenopausal women with DTC on THST seem to be at risk of bone loss. In the past years, advances have been made in preventing low-risk patients from being overtreated. Improved biomarkers are still needed to further optimize risk stratification and personalize medicine.