Salivary Gland Scan
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Test Overview
A salivary gland scan uses a special test medicine (tracer) and a special camera to take pictures of the salivary glands 
. This can help your doctor find the cause of dry mouth (xerostomia) or swelling in the salivary glands.
During a salivary gland scan, the tracer is put into a vein (IV) in your arm. The tracer moves through your blood and into the salivary glands. A special camera takes pictures to show how much tracer stays in the salivary glands.
In North America, a salivary gland scan is rarely done. Most often, a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is done to look at the salivary glands.
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| Last updated: | January 10, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS |
| Reviewed By: | Paul D. Traughber, MD - Radiology, Kenneth B. Sutherland, CD, BSc, MD, FRCPC - Diagnostic Radiology |
| Editors: | Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC, Tracy Landauer |
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