The Validity of Transcranial Radiography in Diagnosis of Internal Derangement

Objective: The puopose of this study is to determine whether associations exist between TMJ characteristics in transcranial radiographs and TMJ internal derangement, and to evaluate the validity of transcranial radiographs in diagnosis of internal derangement. Methods: Stnadard transcranial radiographs & MRIs of total 113 TMJs from 76 subjects(50 female and 26 male) were analyzed. Transcranial analysis included linear measurement of joint spaces and condylar head angle measurement. The degree of disk displacement was evaluated throuth MRI and was graded 0(normal), 1(disk displacement with reduction), 2(disk displacement without reduction). To determine any relationship between transcranial measurement according to MTI grade, one-way ANOVA was used. Results: Condyle-fossa relationship in standard transcranial radiographs had no association with disk diaplacement As disk displacement progressed, condylar head angle II increased significantly. Conclusion: Although still clinically helpful, the validity of standard transcranial radiographs to diagnose TMJ internal derangement was questioned. To improve reproducibility and resolution, corrected technique should be considered.