Temporomandibular joint: computed tomographic three-dimensional reconstruction.

Computed tomography represents an effective and highly automated method to display biomedical data from many sources. It has a number of advantages over previous reconstruction methods, particularly the ability to automatically locate object-boundary outlines and produce shaded three-dimensional images of reconstructed data. A three-dimensional reconstruction of the temporomandibular joint was performed successfully on five cadaver heads using the Phillips Tomoscan and IP5000 image processor. The program used in this study of the temporomandibular joint is divided into five distinct steps: data gathering, rotation and projection, filtering, smoothing, and shading. Comparison of this type of data is important in the study of the normal and abnormal anatomy of the temporomandibular joint. Similarly, quantitative data obtained from reconstructed computed tomograms can be used to study normal anatomy in vivo and to examine the effects of various treatment modalities on the size and morphologic characteristics of tumors and other pathologic entities.