TMJ- Imaging Flashcards
What are the advantages of using plain films
- Low radiation dose
- Easily accessible
What are the disadvantages of plain films
- Cannot assess soft tissues of joint
- Diagnostic yield os limited to projection & geometry & superimposition
- low sensitivity for bone patholofy
- Low- moderate value in assessment of “
- TMJ osseous components
- facial skeletal asymmetry
- internal jaw anatomy/ pathology
What are the plain radiography film techniques used to assess TMJ
- Reverse Townes
- Panormaic
What are the advantages and disadvantages of panormaic
ADV:
-Quick & readily available
- comfortable
- section to just condyles
DISADV:
- difficult to reproduce due to inconsistent magnification & geometric distortion
- sensitive to positioning errors
- superimposition & ghost images
- no soft tisssues
- cannot exclude bony pathology
Indications for OPG for TMJ
- Change in occlusion
- mndibular shift
- change in movements range
- altered sensory/ motor
- recent trauma
Contrainidications for OPG TMJ
Joint noises
myofascial pain
Why are PA mandibles not used for TMJ
- condyles not visible as superimposed
Good for fractures at posture-anterior views
How it is conducted:
forehead & nose against image detector. X-ray beam posterior & perpendicular to film
How are reverse townes taken
pt opens mouth & condyles move and translate down articular emincence
- beam angled change (dropped 30 degrees upward angle)
What are the advantages of reverse townes plain film?
Beam angle changed→ no longer condyles superimposed by base of skull
What is a trauma dislocation
condyle is displaced out of the glenoid fossa but still within the joint
What is the most common type of trauma dislocation
Anterior dislocation
What is an anterior dislocation & its presentations
Condyle displaces anteriorly to articular eminence
presentations: cannot close mouth
What is a superior dislocation & its presentations
Roof of glenoid fossa fractures & condyle displaced superiorly into middle cranial fossa
What is subluxation of joint?
condyle doesn;t get stuck infront of articular eminence- condyle has an increased range of movmeemnts
What conditions are associated with recurrent dislocations
Ehlers Danloas and Marfans
How does Multi-detector Computed Tomography work?
- fan shaped x-ray beam
- patient moves horizontally through scnner
- beam and detectors rotate around gantry
- images are generated as slices to view bone and soft tissues
How can soft tissue differenation be improved in CT
Use of contrast agents to improve soft tissue differentiation
Agent is taken up by tissues that are well vascularised
Increases density & therefore attenuation of x-ray beams where more areas of x-ray accumulation
How do Cone beam CT work
xray beam is coned shape
- single rotation around patient
Lower dose of ioning radiation compared with MDCT
Cannot view soft tissues
What are the advantages of CBCT
- see bony structures without superimposition
- assess osseous and ankylosis
what are the indicaitons for multidetector CT
- when a neoplasm is suspected to extend beyond the osseous structures
- TMJ replacement
How does MRI work
Mangetic field (1.5-3 tesla) and radiofrquency
- no ionising radiaiton
- soft tissues: good differentations
what are the disadvantages of MRI
- long scan tme
- close to pt
Contraindications for MRI
- Claustrophobia
- pacemaker
- Metabollic foreign body
What is the MRI sequence
T1: FAT is bright e.g bone marrow & salivary glands
T2: Water- white CFS around brain. and. ucosa surface