Sialography in diagnosis of parotid tumors.

Abstract

To the Editor .—The article entitled "The Value of Sialography in the Diagnosis of Parotid Tumors: A Clinicopathological Correlation" in the December 1977 issue of theArchives(103:727-729) established some correlation between the sialography and clinicopathological findings, but it still leaves a question in my mind as to the value of sialography. In the "Comment" section, most of the remarks underline the fact that preoperative sialography is limited in value. The results showed that in detecting a lesion, palpation was better than sialography since 85% of the detectable lesions were found on the radiographs. Localization of intrinsic vs extrinsic masses cannot be determined with certainty nor can the pathologic condition of the lesion be adequately determined. I would be interested in Calcaterra and colleagues' specific comments as to whether sialography really influenced a surgical decision in any of the patients who were described. At the end of the "Comment" section,