A comparison of MRI, radiographic and clinical findings of the position of the TMJ articular disc following open treatment of condylar neck fractures

Schneider, Alexander; Zahnert, Diana; Klengel, Steffen; Loukota, Richard; Eckelt, Uwe

doi:10.1016/j.bjoms.2006.11.019

« Previous Next »British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Volume 45, Issue 7 , Pages 534-537, October 2007

A comparison of MRI, radiographic and clinical findings of the position of the TMJ articular disc following open treatment of condylar neck fractures

Alexander Schneider
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Technology Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
Diana Zahnert
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Technology Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
Steffen Klengel
- Department of Radiology, University of Technology Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
Richard Loukota
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds LS2 9LU, United Kingdom
- Corresponding author at: Leeds Dental Institute, Clarendon Way, Leeds LS2 9LU, United Kingdom. Tel.: +44 113 343 6219; fax: +44 113 343 6264.
Uwe Eckelt
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Technology Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, D-01307 Dresden, Germany

Accepted 23 November 2006. published online 15 January 2007.

Abstract

We examined the position and function of the articular disc after open treatment of condylar fractures by comparing magnetic resonance images (MRI) and radiographs with clinical data.

MRI and radiographs were taken after treatment of 28 patients with 33 fractures of the mandibular condyles. In all cases, the disc was located in the fossa after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). The MRI, radiographic and clinical findings did not correlate, and damage to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) could be seen more clearly on MRI than on clinical or radiographic examination. Damage to soft tissues seen on MRI after treatment was more pronounced in dislocated than in displaced fractures.

Keywords: MRI, Condylar fractures, Disc