Radiographic Interpretation Flashcards
What would you discuss in relation to the site of a lesion?
Where is it
–anterior maxilla, mandibular body etc
Is there a notable relationship to another structure
–teeth (whole tooth, root, apex, follicle)
–inferior alveolar canal, nasopalatine canal
What is its position relative to particular structure
–inferior alveolar canal- lesions below are unlikely to be odontogenic
–maxillary sinus floor- lesions entirely above are highly unlikely to be odontogenic
What is involved in the systematic approach to lesion descriptions?
Site
Size
Shape
Margins
Internal Structure
Effect on adjacent anatomy
Number
What would you discuss in relation to the size of a lesion?
Measure (or estimate) dimensions
OR
Describe the boundaries
What are the general shapes of lesions you can see radiographically?
Rounded
Scalloped
Irregular
What are the different types of locularity of lesions you can get?
Unilocular - one single rounded lesion
Pseudolocular - one lesion with scalloped lesion
Multilocular- multiple lesions
How can you describe the margins of a lesion?
Well-defined and..
–corticated (bone surrounding the lesion
–Non-corticated (no white line around the edges)
Poorly defined and..
–blending into adjacent normal anatomy
–ragged or moth-eaten
What does a moth-eaten margin of a lesion indicate?
Moth-eaten suggests malignancy
What are the descriptions for the internal structure of lesions?
Entirely radiolucent
Radiolucent with some internal radiopacity
Radiopaque (homogenous-uniform level of radiopacity or heterogenous- differing levels of radiopacity)
What can make jaw lesions radiolucent?
Resorption of bone
Decreased mineralisation of bone
Decreased thickness of bone
Replacement of bone with abnormal, less-mineralised tissue
What can make jaw lesions radiopaque?
Increased thickness of bone
Osteosclerosis (more dense) of bone
Presence of abnormal tissues
Mineralisation of normally non-mineralised tissues
What effect can lesions have on adjacent bone?
Displacement of cortices
Perforation of cortices
Sclerosis of trabecular bone
What effect can lesions have on the inferior alveolar canal/maxillary sinus/nasal cavity?
Displacement
Erosion
Compression
What effect can lesions have on teeth?
Displacement/impaction
Resorption
Loss of lamina dura
Widening of the PDL space
Hypercementosis
What is idiopathic osteosclerosis?
Localised area of increased bone density with no known cause
–no association with inflammatory, neoplastic or dysplastic processes
–Asymptomatic, incidental finding on radiographs
–potential relevance to orthodontics- moving teeth through the area of density
Typically presents in adolescence
What is the radiographic presentation of idiopathic osteosclerosis?
Well-defined radiopacity
Often homogenous- uniform
No radiolucent margin
Variable shape
Size usually <2cm
Not associated with teeth but will often appear next to them simple due to circumstance
