Head & neck
-
Case Reports Comparative Study
Application of medical thermography to the diagnosis of Frey's syndrome.
In Frey's syndrome, the secretory parasympathetic fibers of the parotid gland are thought to communicate with the sympathetic nerve fibers of sweat glands and blood vessels of the skin following parotidectomy. Miscommunication results in subjective gustatory sweating and facial flushing, which appear early with postoperative mastication. In this study, we compared the efficacy of medical thermography to the Minor's starch-iodine test to determine the presence of gustatory sweating in Frey's syndrome. ⋯ Thermography is a noninvasive, facile test that provides a qualitative visual analysis of the cutaneous capillary response in Frey's syndrome following parotid surgery.