Age-related relaxo-volumetric quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of the major salivary glands

To study age-related characteristics of T1 and T2 relaxation times and volume of the major salivary glands. Thirty-five subjects (0.5-87 years old) with normal salivary glands were imaged with mixed turbo spin-echo pulse sequences at 1.5-T magnetic resonance units. Bilateral parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands were segmented manually. Histograms for each salivary gland were generated and modeled with Gaussian functions for every parameter. Seventy parotid glands, 52 submandibular glands, and 50 sublingual glands were segmented and the histograms were analyzed. The parotid gland exhibited shorter-peak T1s and longer-peak T2s relative to the submandibular and sublingual glands. The peak T2s for all glands showed a minimum value between 2 and 4 years of age and increased monotonically thereafter. From birth to early adulthood, all glands increased in size logarithmically. Age-related relaxo-volumetric changes of the major salivary glands show clear T2 and volumetric age-related patterns for all glands.