Histological findings and complications in patients with salivary gland biopsy at two institutions in Medellin, Colombia: a descriptive study

Introduction: Salivary gland biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome. There are several approaches for the realization of the biopsy, being generally used an approach to the mucosa with the use of various instruments and incisions that vary in its length, passing through trucut biopsy to scraping with needle. Objective: Evaluate the performance, complications and histological report systems of the minor salivary gland biopsy with a minimally invasive technique. Materials and methods: We conducted a descriptive study that included adult patients undergoing salivary gland biopsy between 2017-2022. Medical records and salivary gland biopsy reports were used to collect information and registered in the Magpi platform. Sociodemographic, clinical, and histopathological variables were recorded. The qualitative variables were expressed in absolute and relative frequencies; the quantitative ones were by median and interquartile range. Seventy-two biopsies were included. Results: Regarding demographic characteristics, 87,5% were women with a median age of 52 years. The biopsy characteristics showed that 70 (97,2%) corresponded to a representative sample. Twenty-seven (38,5%) biopsies showed lymphocytic infiltration and reported a classification system, of which the most used one was the Chisholm Mason used in 18 (66,6%) of such biopsies. Complications were present in four (5,7%) patients. Conclusions: Despite the recommendation of using Focus Score for classification criteria, the Chisholm Mason system is still the most widely used. The present technique is a safe and effective for the realization of minor salivary gland biopsy.