Virtual arthroscopy of the visible human female temporomandibular joint

Purpose: This study was designed to obtain views of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) by means of computed arthroscopic simulation (virtual arthroscopy) using three-dimensional (3D) processing. Material and Methods: Volume renderings of the TMJ from very thin cryosection slices of the Visible Human Female were taken off the Internet. Analyze(AVW) software (Biomedical Imaging Resource, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, MN) on a Silicon Graphics O2 workstation (Mountain View, CA) was then used to obtain 3D images and allow the navigation "fly-through" of the simulated joint. Results: Good virtual arthroscopic views of the upper and lower joint spaces of both TMJs were obtained by fly-through simulation from the lateral and endaural sides. It was possible to observe the presence of a partial defect in the articular disc and an osteophyte on the condyle. Virtual arthroscopy provided visualization of regions not accessible to real arthroscopy. Conclusion: These results indicate that virtual arthroscopy will be a new technique to investigate the TMJ of the patient with TMJ disorders in the near future.