Abstract #1794

Astreinidou E, Raaijmakers C, Roesink J, Bartels L, Terhaard C

A 3D MR sialography protocol was developed and evaluated in 11 healthy volunteers and applied, for the first time, in 9 patients receiving radiotherapy (RT) for head-and-neck tumors pre-RT and post-RT at 6-weeks, 6-months and 1-year. The whole trajectory of the salivary ducts was visible pre-RT but only partly 6-weeks post-RT for those glands receiving dose >20Gy. Recovery was observed at 6-months or 1-year post-RT for doses when the dose was 25-45 Gy, but not when dose > 45 Gy. This is a novel approach in investigating radiation-induced xerostomia as the saliva itself is imaged.