MRI assessment of the normal temporomandibular joint with the use of projective geometry.

A new analysis, the Projective Invariant Analysis, was developed for the evaluation of magnetic resonance images of the temporomandibular joint. This method was used because it takes into account factors such as linear and angular measurements that simple Euclidean geometric methods fail to address. Forty "normal" joints (20 subjects) and 65 "abnormal" joints were analyzed. Joints were defined as normal if they had a Class I skeletal pattern and a Class I occlusion. In addition, a history was obtained and a clinical examination was performed on each of these subjects to rule out any temporomandibular joint dysfunction, masticatory muscle myalgia, or cervicalgia. The images of the 40 normal joints were compared with 65 previously taken images of 53 patients with conditions that had been diagnosed as anteriorly displaced disks with reduction. These two groups were compared with the use of the analysis method described by Drace and Enzmann that uses angular measurements. The groups were also analyzed with the use of a new method in which the structural relationships of the articular eminence, gleniod fossa, mandibular condyle, and articular disk were related to each other using projective geometry. For the projective invariant analysis, a 95% confidence ellipse was constructed on the basis of the normal data. All but one of the 40 normal points fell within this ellipse, and only three of the 65 abnormal points were inside the ellipse. Both analyses showed a significant difference between the normal and abnormal groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)