Three-dimensional reconstruction of the temporomandibular joint using CT images with a new device

本研究的目的是建立一种利用颞下颌关节的三维重建方法来分析髁状突位置的方法。我们开发了一种新的装置(CT装置)来匹配三维重建的髁状突与咬合平面。利用校正后的最大间隙轴位CT图像，对正常人的颞下颌关节骨性成分进行三维重建。髁状突图像由大约8000点组成，颅窝图像由大约15000个点组成。以0~5 mm的距离，以1 mm的距离间隔测量下颌窝至下颌骨的距离，并将各距离的分布区域叠加在重建的下颌骨图像上，评价下颌骨的三维位置。所有距离的分布表明，下颌骨髁状突位于两侧下颌窝的中心位置。结论：我们提出的新的利用颞下颌关节重建法对下颌骨的三维位置进行评估的方法，对临床上检查功能性的髁状突位置是有帮助的。

The aim of this study was to establish the method for analyzing the three-dimensional condylar position using a reconstruction method of the temporomandibular joint.We developed a new device (CT-device) to match a three-dimensional reconstruction of the condyle with a plane of occlusion. Three-dimension reconstructions of the temporomandibular joint osseous components in normal subjects were made from the corrected axial CT images at maximum intercuspation. A condyle image and a fossa image were composed of approximately 8000 points and approximately 15000 points respectively. The three-dimensional condylar position was evaluated with the distribution of the distance between the mandibular fossa and the mandibular condyle at 1mm intervals for a distance of 0-5mm.The distribution areas of all distances were superimposed on the reconstruction of the mandibular condyle in the visual images. The distribution of all distances indicated that the mandibular condyles are located centrally in mandibular fossas at both sides.It is concluded that our new evaluation method of the three-dimensional condylar position using the reconstruction method of temporomandibular joint is useful to examine functional condylar position clinically.