[Functional scintigraphy of salivary glands of the head during telecobalt radiotherapy].

In order to find out radiogenic lesions to the large salivary glands of the head, the function of parotid and submandibular glands was examined by scintigraphy with 99m-Tc Pertechnetate before, during, and five to eight months after a telecobalt therapy for malignomas of the neck. It was shown that the parotid glands did not function at all immediately after an irradiation with 60 Gy. Five to eight months later, a recovery of about 50% of the secretory function was registered. The function of the submandibular glands was reduced to about 60% of their normal secretion after 30 and 60 Gy. This corresponds to the modification of xerostomia reported by the patients some time after an irradiation of the salivary glands.