cone beam CE

cone beam1_201232 I I clinical technique _nerumuscular application Fig. 8_Treatment arch widths. Figs. 9a, b_Actual impacted dentition orientation in three dimensions. Fig. 10_Upper airway evaluation. Fig. 11_Pharyngeal volumetric airway evaluation. Fig. 12_TMJ morphology and condylar position. A review of the current literature suggests: “In comparing cone-beam technology with con- ventional CT, it should be kept in mind that cone- beamsystemsdedicatedtomaxillofacialdiagnostics by their physical nature do not provide enough low-contrast resolution to discriminate soft tissue structures.”2 “Where it is likely that evaluation of soft tissues will be required as part of the patient’s radiologi- cal assessment, the appropriate imaging should be conventional medical CT or MR, rather than CBCT ... Statement 8 comes close to this in recommending that CBCT not be used where soft tissue assessment is a significant aspect of the need for imaging.”3 _Conclusions CBCThasbeenresponsibleforasignificantreduc- tion in radiation as compared to medical CT (68 uSv vs. 1200-3300 uSv4 ). One CBCT scan is equivalent to approximatelyfiveplainfilmpanoramicradiographs, significantly less than a full-mouth series. CBCT images can be saved and viewed as native DICOM,PDFandJPEGcompressedfilesandimported intomostthird-partypatientmanagementsoftware programs. Asaresultofthisevolution,therearenownumer- ous free DICOM 3-D multiview readers available5 for both PC and Mac platforms, yet this author prefers the Anatomage InvivoTM 3-D software7 for its ease of use and options. CBCT has also been responsible for making CT technology affordable while opening up pathsforfutureresearchandinnovation,particularly in neuromuscular orthopedics._ _References 1. Imaging Systems, Inc., Peachtree City, Ga., (800) 628-1302,www.goodxrays.com. 2. “Diagnostic quality of multiplanar reformations Fig. 8 Fig. 10 Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 9a Fig. 9b