Comparative imaging of the temporomandibular joint.

Abstract

During this annual review period, the literature reflected the great interest in magnetic resonance imaging as a diagnostic tool for assessing the various types of disk displacement and for postoperative imaging, due to its exceptional visualization of the normal and abnormal temporomandibular joint compared with other imaging modalities. None of the authors doubt the potential of magnetic resonance imaging and the interest shown in defining both the normal range of disk position and the pitfalls in the interpretation is a sound development. Arthrography still has its advantages and seems to be the only competitive imaging modality for the assessment of internal derangement; it also has been shown to detect mediolateral disk displacements. Further improvements may be obtained by double-contrast and digital subtraction techniques. In chronic arthritic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, the literature has focused on bone abnormalities depicted with tomography and computed tomography. The potential of magnetic resonance imaging to show other inflammatory changes also has been indicated.