MRI and CBCT image registration of temporomandibular joint: a systematic review

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present review is to systematically and critically analyze the available literature regarding the importance, applicability, and practicality of (MRI), computerized tomography (CT) or cone-beam CT (CBCT) image registration for TMJ anatomy and assessment. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search of 4 databases; MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBM reviews and Scopus, was conducted by 2 reviewers. An additional manual search of the bibliography was performed. INCLUSION CRITERIA: All articles discussing the magnetic resonance imaging MRI and CT or CBCT image registration for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) visualization or assessment were included. RESULTS AND INCLUDED ARTICLES’ CHARACTERISTICS: Only 3 articles satisfied the inclusion criteria. All included articles were published within the last 7 years. Two articles described MRI to CT multimodality image registration as a complementary tool to visualize TMJ. Both articles used images of one patient only to introduce the complementary concept of MRI-CT fused image. One article assessed the reliability of using MRI-CBCT registration to evaluate the TMJ disc position and osseous pathology for 10 temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients. CONCLUSION: There are very limited studies of MRI-CT/CBCT registration to reach a conclusion regarding its accuracy or clinical use in the temporomandibular joints. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40463-016-0144-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.