Evaluation of periapical radiolucencies found in cadavers

Abstract

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in investigative roentgenography. Bender and Seltzer1 showed that intrabony lesions often may not be detected roentgenographically unless there is per­ foration or considerable resorption of the overlying cortical bone. They also pointed out that there may be extensive bone dis­ ease without roentgenographic evidence. The findings of Shackman and Harrison2 confirm this, as they were able to demon­ strate microscopically visible but roent­ genographically invisible metastases in vertebrae and long bones. Goldman, Millsap, and Brenman,3 in 1957, removed the entire buccal and lingual plates of jaw bones and concluded that “ . . . only the density of the radiograph was affected when the buccal and lingual plates were removed.” Limited observations of peri­ apical pathoses studied roentgenographi­ cally and microscopically were made by Kronfeld.4 Perhaps the most complete account of oral bone pathosis found in cadavers was recorded by Thoma in 1918.5 He pre­ sented photographs of several cadaver specimens with bone lesions resulting from chronic periapical and periodontal infection. Unfortunately, this work was not accompanied by roentgenograms. In the literature a void seems to exist con­ cerning the “ naturally occurring” oral pathoses that are available for study in cadavers. The following investigation was instigated to compare the findings of others using experimental lesions with actual pathologic conditions found in cadavers studied roentgenographically and by subsequent dissection.