Morphologic evaluation of the inferior alveolar nerve in patients with sensory disorders by high-resolution 3D volume rendering magnetic resonance neurography on a 3.0-T system.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) morphologically in patients with symptomatic posttraumatic sensory disorders using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on a high-field system.

Study Design: Sixteen patients who complained of persistent sensory disturbance attributed to unilateral IAN injury participated in the investigation. High-resolution 3-dimensional volume rendering magnetic resonance neurography was performed on a 3.0-T MRI system.

Results: In 15 (94%) of 16 patients, high-resolution 3-dimensional volume rendering magnetic resonance neurography demonstrated morphologic abnormalities of the IAN as well as connective tissue overgrowth. These findings were confirmed intraoperatively (6 patients) and histopathologically (5 patients). The duration of sensory disturbance correlated significantly with the pattern of morphologic deformity and connective tissue overgrowth.

Conclusions: The current study clearly demonstrated that appropriate application of clinical MRI techniques can significantly improve the diagnosis and potential treatment of patients with orofacial peripheral nerve disorders.