Temporomandibular joint motion: efficacy of fast low-angle shot MR imaging.
One hundred temporomandibular joints (TMJs) in 62 symptomatic patients and two healthy volunteers were prospectively examined with T1-weighted spin-echo and fast low-angle shot (FLASH) gradient-echo sequences. FLASH sequences were performed during opening of the mouth and provided a pseudodynamic depiction of TMJ motion. In 49 joints, FLASH sequences provided information that potentially influenced the therapeutic approach to the patient. This information was not available from standard T1-weighted images. The additional information fell into four general categories: (a) determination of the exact time of disk recapture, (b) distinction of normal variants from pathologically displaced disks, (c) clarification of discrepancies found between clinical examination results and T1-weighted images, and (d) elimination of motion degradation of images.
Department of Radiology, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond 23289-0615.
W F
WF
Conway
C W
CW
Hayes
R L
RL
Campbell
D M
DM
Laskin
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D013706:Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*