ABSTRACT
Adult parotitis exhibits various appearances on images. The purpose of this study was to investigate the imaging features of adult parotitis, focusing on the inflammatory spread in and around the parotid gland on CT images. We investigated 21 patients who were clinically and radiologically diagnosed with parotitis, including patients with concomitant occurrences of sialolith or Sjören's syndrome. Intra-glandular spread was divided into 13 diffuse types and 8 focal types. There was a significant difference in duration from the first onset of symptoms between the diffuse and focal types. Six of 8 patients showing focal type spread were associated with the concomitant occurrence of sialolith or Sjören's syndrome. Extra-glandular spread was observed in 13 (62%) patients. Of them, 12 (92%) showed subcutaneous fat tissue and/or masticator space involvement. Involvement of the parapharyngeal space and the superficial area just below the gland was observed in 4 and 7 patients, respectively. The appearance of extra-glandular spread was influenced by intra-glandular appearance and concomitant disease. The spread of adult parotitis possessed characteristic features in relation to clinical findings and concomitant disease. CT examination appeared to be effective for these diagnoses.