Échographie des glandes salivaires en rhumatologie

Ultrasonography of the salivary glands is a simple, minimally invasive and reproducible examination that has been developed over the past 30 years. Mainly used in the primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS), it allows a study of the parotid and sub-mandibular glands's parenchyma. This parenchyma is homogeneous and iso-echogenic under normal conditions. The pathological character is marked by heterogeneity linked to the presence of hypoechoic areas (honeycomb pattern) or fibrous aspect due to fat-fibrosus tissue leading to hyperechoic bands by ultrasonography . Despite increasingly robust data on its reliability and usefulness, salivary gland ultrasound is not currently associated with the ACR-EULAR 2016 classification criteria of the pSS, probably due to a lack of consensus on its use. In 2019, the OMERACT published a semi-quantitative sore graded from 0 to 3 whose reliability has been confirmed in several studies. The standardization of practices should allow for the dissemination and validation of the use of salivary gland ultrasound in primary Sjogren syndrome on an international scale.