MRI Mastery Series: Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)

TMJ MRI — Course Overview

Not much is scarier to a patient than a locked jaw. And for many of your colleagues, having to read a TMJ MRI (after not seeing any for a while) can be almost equally scary. You might be lucky enough to have informed DMD/DDS/oral surgeons who routinely order these, but it is likelier that they come around once in a while, and maybe one of your colleagues has “cornered the market,” leaving you with a less varied and interesting worklist.

This integral S-shaped joint with its various open and closed lock mechanisms, disc displacements, reduction and partial translation can be mastered with a reasonable amount of study. Changes in the architecture of the bone and articular cartilage generally result in older patients needing this study, women more so than men, but patients of any age can experience pain. Inflammation, osteoarthritis and internal derangement are common diagnoses, and the central location of the joint also makes it susceptible to effects from surgical procedures in the general area (e.g., parotidectomies). There’s much more than the maxilla and the mandible going on here – this is an opportunity for you to distinguish yourself from your colleagues by mastering this quirky joint and demonstrating your versatility.

Recapture the unique magic of TMJ MRI! Whether you see a fair number of temporomandibular joints or just want to be prepared for this less common but very useful study, we’ve combined our practical and visually memorable TMJ tutorials into a comprehensive anatomical and case review tour de force. Our diagrammatic illustrations of the joint mechanism are well-known for their clarity in depicting the surrounding anatomy as well as the mechanics. We include methodology not only for determining and grading the status of the temporomandibular joint and surrounding tissues, but also reviewing the “film edges” for other findings which could complicate your reporting. Our TMJ Mastery Series is the most efficient way to introduce yourself to this joint, or brush up on dormant skills. Your patient’s jaw may be clicking, but with the right CME resources your eye and brain can also be “clicking” with ready recognition of their TMJ joint status and the ability to describe it accurately and succinctly for your referring clinicians!

TMJ MRI Anatomy & Diagnosis Covered in this Course

• Anterior band of disc
• Anterior recess, Inferior compartment
• Arthritis
• Articular eminence
• Chondromalacia
• Comparisons of normal and abnormal joints
• Condylar head
• Condylar neck
• Disc, intermediate zone
• Dislocated articular discs
• Inferior compartment
• Inferior portion, Bilaminar zone
• Joint capsule
• Joint effusion
• Lateral pterygoid muscle
• Locking
• Lymphoepithelial cyst (parotid)
• Mandibular fossa
• Mandibular ramus
• Meniscal degeneration
• Meniscal displacement
• Posterior band of disc
• Posterior recess of inferior compartment
• Remodeled mandibular condyle
• Rotational disc displacement
• Subluxation
• Superior compartment
• Superior portion, Bilaminar zone
• Wilkes TMJ disease (Class 4)
• And much more…