Acalculous parotid sialadenopathy

Acalculous inflammation of the parotid gland has been regarded by some as a specific disorder that can be staged as to the severity of the disease process. A review of the literature, however, indicates a divergence of opinion. It is the purpose of this study to test this hypothesis by a retrospective double-blind analysis of clinical, sialographs and histopathologic findings. Forty-two patients who were seen by the Department of Otolaryngology, Washing-ton University School of Medicine from 1961 to 1970 were evaluated by two separate teams. There were 20 sialograms and 30 pathologic specimens, and all were re-examined. Eleven patients had both sialographs studies and histopathologic examination. The clinical presentations and sialographs findings were reviewed. These findings were then compared to each other. Our results indicate that we could not evaluate the severity of the clinical disease by sialography or histopathology. There was no consistent method of staging the sialographs and pathologic findings. In addition, there was no correlation between these two parameters. They reflect neither the patient's clinical syndrome pattern nor the extent of disease. It appears that the parotid gland responds variably to inflammation. These observations are exemplified by case histories.