## 3 Results  
The final analysis was based on the data from 122 charts, which included 43 males (34.1%) and 79 females (65.9%) with a mean age of 55.5 \(\pm\) 14.2 years, including 60/122 and 62/142 patients belonging, respectively, to group A and B. All patients successfully completed the study, and no dropouts occurred during the follow-up period. The two study groups were comparable at baseline in terms of demographic and clinical variables, as well as the main intraoperative findings obtained during interventional sialendoscopy (Table 1). Interventional sialendoscopy was well tolerated in all patients as attested by the mean VAS pain = 3.1 \(\pm\) 2.3 and the lack of any untoward effects; in no case was the procedure stopped due to the occurrence of unexpected technical difficulties. The most frequent sialoendoscopic finding was a mucous plug (55/122, 45.1%), followed by sialodochitis (43/122, 35.2%), and stenosis (28/122, 22.9%) (Table 1); more than one intraoperative pathological finding was detected in 43/122 (35.2%) of patients. Among the most frequently detected aetiologies were _sine causa_ sialadenitis (81/122, 66.4%), sialadenitis related to [PERSON]'s disease or other autoimmune disease (30/122, 24.6%), and post-actinic/radioiodine sialadentis (11/122, 9.0%). DSIs were well tolerated, as documented by the mean VAS pain = 2.1 \(\pm\) 1.1; no complications occurred during the procedure. Postoperatively, a significantly reduced number of salivary gland swelling episodes (\(p\)-value = 0.01) was documented in patients belonging to group B compared to those belonging to group A at any follow-up assessment (Table 2 and Figure 3). No significant differences in pain related to episodes of salivary gland swelling were detected between groups (mean VAS pain ranging between 5.9 and 7.1). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Characteristics**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Group A**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Group B**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**\(p\)-Value**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Tot.**} \\  & **(No. = 60)** & **(No. = 62)** & **(No. = 62)** & **(No. = 122)** \\ \hline \multirow{5}{*}{BASELINE FEATURE} & Mean age \(\pm\) SD, years & 56.1 \(\pm\) 11.4 & 54.4 \(\pm\) 18.6 & n.s. & 55.5 \(\pm\) 14.2 \\  & Males & 27 (45.0\%) & 16 (25.8\%) & n.s. & 43 (34.1\%) \\  & Affected gland: parotid & 21 (35.0\%) & 13 (20.9\%) & & 34 (27.9\%) \\  & Affected gland: submandibular & 36 (60.0\%) & 43 (69.3\%) & n.s. & 79 (64.7\%) \\  & Affected gland: both & 6 (6.7\%) & 6 (9.7\%) & & 10 (8.2\%) \\  & Side: left & 29 (48.3\%) & 29 (48.8\%) & n.s. & 58 (47.5\%) \\ \hline \multirow{5}{*}{SIALENDOSCOPIC} & Mucous plug & 30 (45.2\%) & 22 (35.5\%) & & 55 (45.1\%) \\  & Sialodochitis & 19 (31.7\%) & 24 (38.7\%) & & 43 (35.2\%) \\ \cline{1-1}  & Type 1 or 3 stenoses & 13 (21.7\%) & 15 (24.2\%) & n.s. & 28 (22.9\%) \\ \cline{1-1}  & None & 6 (10.0\%) & 9 (14.5\%) & & 15 (12.3\%) \\ \cline{1-1}  & Mean no. of pathological findings & 1.3 \(\pm\) 0.5 & 1.4 \(\pm\) 0.5 & n.s. & 1.3 \(\pm\) 0.5 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Legend: no. = number; SD = standard deviation; n.s. = not significant.  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Baseline demographic/clinical characteristics and intraoperative findings in the study groups.