Based on a clinical evaluation, your doctor may recommend a nuclear medicine scan of the salivary glands to determine if the glands are functioning properly. We hope this introductory brochure will help you understand this scan better.

Purpose of the scan

• To evaluate the symptoms of dry mouth like chronic inflammation of the salivary glands and post radiation therapy of the head and neck.
• To assist diagnosing certain tumors of salivary glands.

Procedure for the scan

• You should fast for at least three hours before the scan.
• At the time of your scan, go directly to the scanning room for injecting tracer into your vein first. Our staff will proceed to continuous imaging of your head and neck. After 15 minutes of imaging, we will give you a vitamin C pill to put in the mouth to stimulate saliva secretion, after which the scan will continue for another 15 minutes.

Things to keep in mind

• Notify our medical staff if you are pregnant because the procedure will be inappropriate for your condition.
• Do your best to remain still during the scan, especially with your head. This will improve the quality of the image.
• You should keep the vitamin C pill in your mouth. Do not swallow it. There are no other special precautions and complications like allergy are rare.

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