London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street SE1 2PR London
Interventional sialography
TREATMENT FOR SALIVARY GLAND OBSTRUCTION
A minimally-invasive technique to help identify and correct the causes of salivary gland obstruction.
What is a sialography?
This minimally-invasive procedure involves having an X-ray to view the salivary glands (saliogram).
This allows consultants to see whether there is an obstruction in the salivary glands, such as a salivary stone (calculus) or stricture (narrowing of the ducts) within the duct.
These will then be removed or dilated to correct the obstruction.
Need to know
When saliva doesn’t flow easily out of the gland, it can lead to swelling of the gland, causing pain and discomfort. The cause of the obstruction is usually a salivary stone or narrowing in the ducts. These can be treated using radiologically-guided techniques.
First, you will have a saliogram (an X-ray of the salivary glands) to determine the cause of the obstruction. A small tube will be inserted into the duct of your salivary glands.
If stones are found, another treatment will extract them by trapping them in fine wire baskets. When the duct had become narrowed, an angioplasty balloon catheter is inserted into the duct to dilate it.
This treatment means you can avoid the need for traditional surgical gland removal under general anaesthetic. Both parts of the treatment are carried out under local anaesthetic, so you'll be awake, but you won’t feel any pain
Your consultant will tell you how to prepare for your operation. Like all procedures, there may be some risks and side effects involved. Your consultant will explain these to you and answer any questions you may have.
This is a quick and simple treatment and you will be able to leave immediately afterwards and return to normal activities straightaway.
Our consultants
We're proud to work with leading experts across a range of medical fields, whose skills are matched by their integrity and compassion. Our consultant work with a team of radiologists and radiographers to ensure investigations are managed effectively.
Our Interventional sialography locations
The Shard Outpatients
The Shard, 32 St Thomas Street SE1 9BS London
Patient stories
Yvette's story: From back pain to hip replacement surgery
Yvette (54) a journalist from Kent, started experiencing pain in her hip seven years ago in 2015. An ex-national gymnast who had been incredibly active and flexible her whole life, Yvette felt concerned about the growing discomfort impacting her quality of life, and so sought help from her GP.
A new hip and straight back into the spin of things
David’s gym video shows him repeatedly pushing up to 100kg on a single leg press – not particularly unusual for this keen cyclist, former competitive squash player and all-round fitness enthusiast. What is unusual is that 52-year-old David had hip surgery just 12 weeks earlier.
Michael's MAKO hip surgery to treat his arthritis
73 year-old Michael, an avid walker and charity worker, was diagnosed with arthritis in January 2021. After facing long waiting times and increasing pain that was becoming more frequent, he started to look elsewhere for treatment.
This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.