Assessment of Dimensional Changes in Submandibular Glands in Head-Neck Radiotherapy Patients by Ultrasonography

Abstract

Objectives The present study investigated the dimensional changes in the submandibular glands following radiotherapy using ultrasonography. Methods Twenty-three patients planned to receive head-neck radiotherapy were included in this study. The anteroposterior, superoinferior, mediolateral length, and volumes of 46 submandibular glands were measured by ultrasonography at 3 different time periods (before radiotherapy and in the second and sixth months after the radiotherapy onset) and evaluated in terms of dimensional changes and the effect of the radiation dose on these changes. The data were statistically analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and 2-factor repeated measures ANOVA. Results Before radiotherapy and in the second and sixth months after the radiotherapy onset, mean anteroposterior length of the submandibular glands was 32.39 +/- 4.55, 30.38 +/- 4.80, and 31.50 +/- 3.68 mm, respectively; mean superoinferior length was 9.96 +/- 1.54, 8.76 +/- 1.26, and 9.08 +/- 1.01 mm, respectively; mean mediolateral length was 24.66 +/- 3.77, 22.03 +/- 3.73, and 21.76 +/- 4.01 mm, respectively; and mean volume was 4.21 +/- 1.01, 3.08 +/- 0.77, and 3.32 +/- 0.63 cm(3), respectively. Moreover, there were significant differences in the anteroposterior (P < .01), superoinferior (P < .001), and mediolateral lengths (P < .001), as well as the volumes (P < .001) of the submandibular glands measured at the 3 different time periods. Conclusion In the second and sixth months after the radiotherapy onset, the sizes of the submandibular glands were markedly reduced, but it partially recovered to normal as more time elapsed after radiotherapy.