Variability of disk position in asymptomatic volunteers and patients with internal derangements of the TMJ

The temporomandibular joint: clinical and surgical aspects

Advances in imaging techniques have greatly enhanced the ability to visualize the internal anatomy of the temporomandibular joint and have increased understanding of the etiology of many temporomandibular disorders. When used together with careful history and physical examination, this knowledge can contribute to better treatment outcomes.

Magnetic resonance imaging-based joint space measurements in temporomandibular joints with disk displacements and in controls

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have discussed a posterior displacement of the condyle as a possible risk factor for the development of disk displacements (DDs) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The objective of this study was to compare the posterior and anterior joint spaces in healthy TMJs with those of patients who present different forms of DDs.

STUDY DESIGN

The anterior and posterior joint spaces from 58 patients with unilateral or bilateral DD with reduction (DDR) or without reduction (DDNR) and from 30 healthy volunteers were measured with 3 sagittal magnetic resonance images (MRIs) from each TMJ in the maximum intercuspid position.

RESULTS

Measurements of anterior and posterior joint spaces showed a good interexaminer reproducibility (rank correlation coefficients ranging from 0.88 to 0.95). Patients with bilateral DDR demonstrated a significantly more posterior position of the condyle, as compared with controls and patients with bilateral DDNR. DDNR presented a significant reduction of the anterior and the posterior joint spaces, leading to a mean concentric position of the condyle. Patients with unilateral DDR or DDNR demonstrated a greater variability of anterior and posterior joint spaces, compared with patients with a bilaterally identical type of DD.

CONCLUSIONS

The data of this MRI-based clinical study indicate that different stages of disk displacements are associated with significant changes of condylar position. The variation of anterior and posterior joint spaces was influenced by the diagnosis of the contralateral joint.

Comparison of clinical and magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis in patients with disk displacement in the temporomandibular joint

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to validate the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) for the diagnostic subgroup of disk displacement with reduction, with magnetic resonance imaging used as a gold standard.

STUDY DESIGN

The diagnoses from the clinical examination of 78 joints in 39 patients, each with disk displacement with reduction in at least one TMJ, were compared with magnetic resonance imaging diagnoses. The readers of the magnetic resonance images were blinded to the clinical diagnoses. The data analysis included kappa statistics and calculation of predictive values.

RESULTS

The predictive value of the RDC/TMD for disk displacement with reduction was 0.65. For disk displacement alone-the movement of the disk on opening not being considered-the predictive value was 0.92. The diagnostic agreement between RDC/TMD and magnetic resonance imaging diagnoses for all joints examined was 53.8%. Most of the disagreement was due to false negative clinical diagnoses for asymptomatic joints.

CONCLUSIONS

A positive RDC/TMD examination is predictive for internal derangement but not reliable with regard to the type of disk displacement; such examination is therefore of limited value in determining the true disk position and its functional movements.

Diagnostic value of 4 criteria to interpret temporomandibular joint normal disk position on magnetic resonance images

OBJECTIVE

This study was undertaken to evaluate different criteria to establish normal disk position on magnetic resonance images.

STUDY DESIGN

Magnetic resonance image findings of 137 consecutive patients with temporomandibular disorders and 23 asymptomatic volunteers were used in this study. Three calibrated observers interpreted the images individually. Four closed-mouth and 1 open-mouth criteria were tested for their ability to define normal and abnormal temporomandibular joint disk positions on magnetic resonance images.

RESULTS

For the 46 joints in the asymptomatic volunteers, the criterion that yielded the highest percentage of normal disk position diagnoses was the disk's intermediate zone (93.5%). Clock face criteria produced the following declining percentages of normal disk position diagnoses: 10 o'clock, 82.6%; 11 o'clock, 63.0%; and 12 o'clock, 39.1%. Similar results were obtained for the patients with temporomandibular disorders. In both groups, as the number of normal disk position diagnoses declined, the percentage of joints with a diagnosis of disk displacement with reduction increased. Conversely, the percentage of joints with a diagnosis of disk displacement without reduction (in the group of patients with temporomandibular disorders) did not appear to be substantially affected by the 4 closed-mouth disk position criteria.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that the intermediate zone criterion for disk displacement is the more stringent criterion and the one that would yield the lowest number of false positives when the disk position is being judged in the closed-mouth sagittal view.