Sahin Nurbanu, Kotanli Sedef
Department of Oral and Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Harran University, 63300, Haliliye, Sanliurfa, Turkey.
Oral Radiol. 2025 Sep 12. doi: 10.1007/s11282-025-00861-y.
This study aimed to evaluate the ultrasonographic features of the parotid and submandibular salivary glands in individuals with long-term cigarette use and to investigate the effects of smoking on these glands.
A total of 120 participants were included in the study: 55 individuals who had been actively smoking for at least 5 years and 65 healthy controls who had never smoked. The echogenicity, parenchymal architecture, glandular margins, and vascular patterns of the parotid and submandibular glands were assessed using ultrasonography. In addition, the volume of each gland was measured, and tissue stiffness (elasticity) was quantitatively evaluated using shear wave elastography. For statistical analysis, the independent samples t-test was used for continuous variables, and the chi-square test was applied for categorical variables.
There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of echogenicity. However, parenchymal heterogeneity and margin irregularity were more frequently observed in smokers. Vascular assessments revealed a significant increase in peripheral vascular patterns and poor vascularity, along with a decrease in central-peripheral distribution in the smoking group. Moreover, both parotid and submandibular gland volumes were significantly higher in smokers compared to controls. Elastography analysis showed a notable increase in tissue stiffness, particularly in the left-sided glands.
The findings suggest that long-term cigarette use may lead to structural alterations, increased tissue stiffness, and vascular changes in the parotid and submandibular salivary glands. These changes may reflect inflammatory, fibrotic, and microcirculatory disturbances induced by smoking in the glandular parenchyma. Non-invasive imaging modalities such as ultrasonography and shear wave elastography appear to be effective tools for detecting these alterations in a reliable and early manner.
本研究旨在评估长期吸烟个体腮腺和颌下唾液腺的超声特征，并探讨吸烟对这些腺体的影响。
本研究共纳入120名参与者：55名至少已积极吸烟5年的个体和65名从未吸烟的健康对照者。使用超声评估腮腺和颌下腺的回声性、实质结构、腺体边缘和血管模式。此外，测量每个腺体的体积，并使用剪切波弹性成像定量评估组织硬度（弹性）。进行统计分析时，连续变量采用独立样本t检验，分类变量采用卡方检验。
两组之间在回声性方面无统计学显著差异。然而，吸烟者中更常观察到实质异质性和边缘不规则性。血管评估显示吸烟组外周血管模式显著增加且血管分布不佳，同时中央 - 外周分布减少。此外，与对照组相比，吸烟者的腮腺和颌下腺体积均显著更大。弹性成像分析显示组织硬度显著增加，尤其是左侧腺体。
研究结果表明，长期吸烟可能导致腮腺和颌下唾液腺的结构改变、组织硬度增加和血管变化。这些变化可能反映了吸烟在腺实质中引起的炎症、纤维化和微循环紊乱。超声和剪切波弹性成像等非侵入性成像方式似乎是可靠且早期检测这些改变的有效工具。
