Salivagram

Also known as: salivagram study, salivary aspiration, radionuclide salivagram.

What is a salivagram?

A salivagram is an imaging test that shows how saliva flows from the mouth into the esophagus and stomach. It’s a nuclear medicine test, which means it uses a small amount of radioactive material in order to make the saliva show up better in an imaging test.

What happens during the procedure?

A dropper is used to put a tiny amount of the radioactive tracer liquid on the tongue. Then a special gamma camera records the movement of the saliva through the digestive system. The test is often used to detect saliva entering the lungs during the test.

Is any special preparation needed?

No special preparation is needed for this test.

What are the risk factors?

A salivagram is generally regarded as a very safe procedure. The amount of radioactive material used as the tracer is not enough to cause any harm in most cases.

Reviewed by: Carrie Firestone Baum, MD

This page was last updated on: April 29, 2021 02:53 PM