Aims and objectives
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the most commonly used joints in the human body (1).
It is composed by two types of cartilage,
fibrous and hyaline,
which allows the condylar cartilage to adapt better to forces when compared to the primary cartilage (1,2).
Ultrasound in the study of TMJ has the great advantage of evaluating the articulation in its greater extent in a non-invasive or uncomfortable way for the patient,
since it uses the properties of reflection of the ultrasound in the differences...
Methods and materials
A General Electric’s Logiq e ultrasound equipment equipped with a 7-12 MHz linear transducer array was used to evaluated the masseter muscle and articular condyle and its cartilage.
The participants were in supine position.
After recognizing the temporomandibular articulation,
the articular condyle and its cartilage were evaluated.
Three images with mouth closed and three images with mouth open.
For masseter muscle,
three images were acquired in contraction and three images in rest.
All protocol was performed bilaterally.
Thus,
24 images were obtained per participant,
and...
Results
Except left condyle with Closed Mouth thickness,
all measurements present an excellent reproducibility (ICC values between 0.784 and 0.980,
in a scale of 0 to 1,
being that it is considered excellent when ICC ≥ 0.750).
The ICC value obtained for Condyle Thickness Left Closed Mouth,
0.713,
represents a satisfactory reproducibility.
Considering the analyzed side (right vs.
left),
there were only statistically significant differences (p <0.050) in the values of muscle ecogenicity.
When comparing the values obtained by the same structure,
but at different moments...
Conclusion
Temporomandibular joint ultrasound,
although there is not literature about,
proved to be a very reproducible imaging method,
since excellent ICC values (ICC ≥ 0.750) were obtained for all measurements.
The condyle head and the articular eminence were shown in the image as hypoechogenic structures and the bone margin and the capsule joint were visualized as hyperechogenic,
as Mello,
et al (2011) and Melis et al.
(2007) showed in their studies (4,5).
The articular disc presents with intermediate and homogeneous echogenicity,
and it is in consonance...
References
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Correlação entre disfunção temporomandibular,
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172–181 (2010); Mello,
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Radiol.
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C.
Sonographic evaluation of temporomandibular joint internal disorders.
Radiol.
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Secci,
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& Ceneviz,
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