Diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging for detecting osseous abnormalities of the temporomandibular joint and its correlation with cone beam computed tomography

Abstract

Although high specificity (84-98%) was obtained with MRI, this modality showed relatively low sensitivity (30-82%) for detecting osseous abnormalities of the TMJ. The value of MRI for the detection of TMJ osseous abnormalities is considered to be limited.

Application of cone beam computed tomography for assessment of the temporomandibular joints

“…18,33,34 The diagnostic efficacy of CBCT for detecting these osseous changes is superior to that of panoramic radiography, linear tomography and MRI. 19,35 Bony changes associated with OA include irregular and possibly thickened cortical outlines, erosions, osteophyte formation, and subchondral 'cyst' formation. 9,36,37 Other changes include narrowing of the joint space and other signs of osseous remodelling such as flattening of the articular surfaces and subchondral sclerosis.…”

Diagnostic reproducibility of temporomandibular joint using magnetic resonance imaging at 0.5 and 1.5 Tesla

“…This variation may be influenced by issues associated with the classification of the disorders evaluated and by characteristics of the observer [23][24][25][26][27][28][29]34,35 . However, it is known that other factors may also affect MRI quality and consequently interfere with reproducibility, such as magnetic field strength 31,32 .…”

“…Even though MRI is considered appropriate to examine the TMJ, research has reported discrepancies between MRI-based and clinical diagnoses 1,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22] . Additionally, studies that evaluated the reproducibility of this method indicate the occurrence of conflicting values [23][24][25][26][27][28][29] . This may be due to two main factors: image quality and observer skills.…”

“…The authors also maintain that these images afford better diagnosis accuracy, which is an essential factor in clinical decision-making. In turn, Sarrat et al 7 (1999) and Karlo et al 5 (2012) have concluded that MRI is useful to visualize TMJ hard tissues, as long as an appropriate acquisition sequence is used, while Ahmad et al 33 (2009) and Alkhader et al 29 (2010) consider the method limited when compared to CT and CBCT.…”

Tempomandibular Joint Evaluation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

“…Res. 5(5), 695-703 696 MRI has great advantages over the previous techniques in its ability to illustrate the soft tissue changes of the TMJ besides the detection of the osseous abnormalities (Alkhader et al, 2010). Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the TMJ abnormalities in RA patients using MRI.…”