T1 and Volumetric Q-MRI of the Major Salivary Glands: Effects of Aging (Preliminary Results in 41 Subjects Over the Human Lifespan)

Naoko Saito¹, Hernan Jara¹, Osamu Sakai¹

Purpose: To study the T1 relaxation times and volume changes of the three major salivary glands; parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands over the full human lifespan using quantitative MRI. Methods: Forty-one subjects (0.5-87 years) scanned with the mixed-TSE pulse sequence were segmented manually into bilateral three salivary glands leading to the T1 histograms. Results: All the major salivary glands showed very subtle age-related changes in T1 relaxometry, however showed clear aging growth in volumetry. Furthermore, two volumetric aging patterns were observed after 60 years of age. Conclusion: Age-related T1 and volume changes of the major salivary glands have been studied.