Curvature analysis of the mandibular condyle.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether curvature analysis on high resolution CT images can be used as a tool for evaluation of mandibular condyle morphology.


METHODS
Curvature analysis was performed on reconstructed oblique coronal CT images of 634 normal condyles from 317 patients (144 men and 173 women; age range 4-89 years) with inner or middle ear disease. The condyles were scanned with 1 mm collimation using helical CT. The CT images were analysed manually on a personal computer.


RESULTS
The condyle CT images could be categorized into five curvature profile patterns: (1) bi-peak; (2) no peak; (3) tri-peak; (4) bi-peak with an intervening bottom above the base line (bi-peak with a col); and (5) bi-peak with an intervening negative phase. A separate evaluation using computer graphic condyle models indicated that these curvature patterns corresponded to flat (bi-peak), round (no peak), convex (bi-peak with a col), concave (bi-peak with a negative phase) and angled (tri-peak) contours of the condyle's superior surface. The curvature profiles were identical between bilateral condyles in 40% (126/317) of the patients. Gender-related differences in the incidence of the curvature profiles were also found, the bi-peak with a col profile being more frequently observed in women and the bi-peak with a negative phase profile being observed more frequently in men.


CONCLUSIONS
Curvature analysis on CT images depicts condyle morphology effectively and may be an adjunctive tool for condyle morphometry.
Ueda
M
M
Department of Radiology and Cancer Biology, Nagasaki University School of Dentistry, Japan.
Yonetsu
K
K
Ohki
M
M
Yamada
T
T
Kitamori
H
H
Nakamura
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003196:Computer Graphics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008335:Mandibular Condyle / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed