Assessment of the sinus lift operation by magnetic resonance imaging.
OBJECTIVE
Vertical bone loss in edentulous maxillary alveolar processes may necessitate a sinus lift before the placement of dental implants. We have measured and assessed maxillary sinuses meticulously before the operation and evaluated the postoperative results of the operation with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).


METHODS
Thirteen edentulous maxillary regions in eight patients were included in the study. The patients were examined 1 week before and 3 months after the sinus lift operations using a 1.5 T superconductive MR imager that gave oblique sagittal T2-weighted images with slices 2 mm thick without a gap.


RESULTS
The images that were obtained 3 months after the sinus lift operations confirmed that vertical height had increased.


CONCLUSIONS
We obtained high quality images without any artefacts during a short examination period with a high-resolution scanner. The results showed that it is possible to assess the maxillary sinus before the sinus lift and to evaluate the postoperative results using MRI accurately in three dimensions without the risk of radiation. This makes MRI a suitable alternative to computed tomography (CT).
Senel
Figen Cizmeci
FC
Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Trabzon, Turkey. fcsenel@hotmail.com
Duran
Serpil
S
Icten
Onur
O
Izbudak
Izlem
I
Cizmeci
Fulya
F
D000328:Adult; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000601:surgery; D000540:Alveolar Ridge Augmentation / Q000379:methods*; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods; D003094:Collagen; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008443:Maxillary Sinus / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008875:Middle Aged; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D003094:Collagen