The diagnostic value of joint inspection of radionuclide salivary gland scintigraphy and antinuclear antibody examination in Sjögren's syndrome patients

Objective: To investigate the diagnosis value of the joint inspection of radionuclide dynamic images of salivary gland and antinuclear antibody examination in Sjögren's syndrome (SS)patients. Methods: Radionuclide dynamic images and antinuclear antibody examination were applied in 30 patients who were confirmed as SS clinically. The diagnostic value of these 2 methods in SS was studied retrospectively. The positive rates were calculated according to the classical definitions. Results: Out of the 30 SS cases, antinuclear antibody examination detected 19 cases (63.3% of the cohort). The other 11 cases turned out to be false negative. Compared with antinuclear antibody examination, dynamic salivary gland scintigraphy identified 24 SS cases, and the positive rate was 80%. The positive rate of the joint examination were calculated as 100%, significantly higher than that of radionuclide dynamic images of salivary gland (P < 0.05), or antinuclear antibody test (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Joint inspection of dynamic salivary gland images and antinuclear antibody tests has very important clinical value in SS screening, diagnosing and evaluating of salivary gland dysfunction. (authors)