Evaluation of the effect of isotretinoin on salivary gland function by Tc-99m pertechnetate imaging in acne vulgaris patients

Background/aim: Isotretinoin is an effective drug utilized in the management of acne vulgaris and is known to cause dry mouth. In this study, we aimed to evaluate this effect of isotretinoin on the salivary gland function in patients with acne vulgaris using technetium-99m (Tc-99m) pertechnetate imaging of the salivary glands. Materials and methods: The study population consisted of 28 patients with acne vulgaris (6 males and 22 females, mean age 20.2 ± 2.3 years), who were treated with isotretinoin for 6 months. We performed radionuclide imaging of the salivary glands pretreatment and at months 3 and 6 of treatment. After 185 MBq (5 mCi) of Tc-99m pertechnetate was intravenously administered, imaging of the salivary glands was performed over a 25-min period. We measured the following glandular function parameters for the parotid and submandibular salivary glands via time-activity curves: uptake ratio, maximum accumulation, and ejection fraction. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in the values obtained at months 3 and 6 of treatment, compared with the pretreatment values. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that radionuclide imaging of the salivary glands can clearly show the glandular functions that are affected by drugs such as isotretinoin.