LOCALIZATION OF THE MANDIBULAR NEUROVASCULAR BUNDLE USING DENTAL MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING

Objective: To assess the reliabilty of a commercially available 3D-MPR MRI program for the jaws for imaging the mandibular neurovascular bun dle. Methods: A gradient echo sequence (TR: 49 ms/TE: 6.3 ms/flip angl e: 25 degrees/excitations: 3) with a spectral fat suppression pre-impu lse and a voxel size of 0.9x0.9x0.8 mm was designed. Cross-sectional a nd panoramic reconstruction of the whole mandible were performed from the axial scans using Easy Vision (Philips, Best, The Netherlands) sof tware package. The ability to differentiate the mandibular neurovascul ar bundle was assessed in 11 patients. Results: The mandibular neurova scular bundle was clearly visualized in all cases. Conclusion: Dental MRI is a possible alternative to plain films or CT for patients requir ing surgery near the mandibular canal.