Role of salivary gland scintigraphy with Tc-99m pertechnetate in determining treatment of solitary parotid gland tumors: A retrospective study

PURPOSE OF THE REPORT: Although salivary gland scintigraphy has been useful for the diagnosis of Warthin's tumor (WT), there are no reports concerning the clinical impact of this scintigraphy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 127 patients with solitary parotid tumors who had undergone salivary gland scintigraphy. RESULTS: For patients who had surgery, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of differentiating WT from non-WTs were 95%, 91%, and 92%, respectively. There was a significant correlation between scintigraphic results and the treatment decisions made for the 127 patients (χ = 16.5, P = 0.00026). The proportion of WT patients among those who underwent surgery was 19%, whereas 42% of those who were suspected to have WT from scintigraphy were followed without surgical intervention. The main reasons for clinical observation in these patients were comorbidity, refusal of surgery, and age. CONCLUSIONS: The high percentage of nonsurgical patients suspected to have WT can be explained by the high diagnostic accuracy of salivary gland scintigraphy, which is useful for determining further management when surgery is contraindicated or is refused by the patient.