Iodinated contrast-induced acute sialadenitis

Abstract

Sialadenitis is an inflammation or infection of the salivary glands that may affect the pa- rotid, submandibular and/or small salivary glands. Acute sialadenitis after injection of io- dinated contrast is a rare late adverse reaction. It is characterized by an enlargement of the salivary glands, most frequently the submandibular ones. The number of studies of compu- ted tomography has increased exponentially in recent years, so it is expected that there will be more and more cases of this entity. About 98% of the iodine contrast injected intrave- nously is eliminated by the kidneys and 2% by other organs such as salivary, lacrimal and sweat glands. In patients with renal failure, delayed renal elimination leads to a greater accumulation of iodine in saliva, which produces greater inflammation of the mucosa of the glandular ducts. Therefore, kidney failure is considered a risk factor for iodine sialadenitis and it should be especially suspected in these patients if they present suggestive symptoms. We present a case of a patient who after performing a computed tomography study with intravenous iodinated contrast, developed acute sialadenitis as an adverse reaction to this contrast.