Abstract
Degenerative changes of the temporomandibular joint (DTMJ) may be diagnosed via cone - beam computed tomography (CBCT). However, despite advancement in CBCT imaging, correlation of DTMJ features identified on CBCT with gross and histological findings is currently limited. This study aimed to correlate CBCT findings of DTMJ of dogs with gross and histopathologic changes. Temporomandibular joints (TMJ) (n = 38) from fresh cadaver heads of asymptomatic dogs (n = 19) were examined radiologically, macroscopically, and microscopically. Association of CBCT - detected DTMJ changes with gross and histological findings were statistically evaluated via kappa statistics and ordinal logistic mixed-effects models. The radiological changes observed on CBCT included joint space narrowing, subchondral/cortical bone changes (i.e., erosions or lysis), osteophytes, and subchondral bone sclerosis. Upon macroscopic evaluation, the majority of examined specimens had mild changes with cartilage defects and osteophytes affecting <10% of the total articular surface area. Histopathologic changes comprised splitting and degeneration of the fibrous cartilage layers, subchondral bone exposure, subchondral bone sclerosis, focal subchondral bone lysis, and occasional cell death. Subchondral sclerosis was the most prevalent finding radiologically and histologically with a fair to excellent agreement. Importantly, the more severe the TMJ degenerative changes, the higher the agreement between CBCT and histology. Based on the correlative results of statistical analysis, CBCT was found to be a suitable modality to evaluate DTMJ.
Highlights
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a unique synovial joint found in mammalian species consisting of the mandibular head and the mandibular fossa [1]
We demonstrated that subchondral bone sclerosis was the most common finding radiographically and histologically with a fair to excellent agreement
In several other studies focusing on the cone - beam computed tomography (CBCT) findings in human patients with Temporomandibular joints (TMJ) osteoarthritis, sclerosis was not reported as the most common finding [32,33,34]
Summary
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a unique synovial joint found in mammalian species consisting of the mandibular head and the mandibular fossa [1]. The TMJ of humans is capable of more diverse kinematics such as opening and closing, rotation, translation, protrusion, retrusion, and laterotrusion [2, 6, 7]. The articulating surfaces of the TMJ are covered by fibrocartilage, while the articulating surfaces of appendicular synovial joints are covered by hyaline cartilage [4, 9, 10]. Due to its fibrous structure, fibrocartilage withstands shear and tension forces better than hyaline cartilage and is, better suited to endure the gliding motion experienced by the TMJ [10, 12]
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