Relationship between jaws and the masseter muscle by superimposing MR images on the cephalogram

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to observe the morphological relationship between maxillofacial skeleton and masseter by superimposing the masseter image constructed by MR image scanning on the cephalogram. Sixteen subjects with different mandibular plane angle were examined in this study. Cephalogram and MR images of each subject were taken, and the images were input to a computer by using a digitizer. The areas of masseter were selected in each MR scan image which were projected to the mid-sagittal layer of the MR scan images. The synthesized image of cephalogram and masseter was obtained by completely superimposing sagittal images of the masseter with the mid-sagittal-plane MR image on the cephalogram. The inclination of masseter was determined by the center of gravity on the cross-section of masseter. These synthesized images of cephalogram and masseter showed various shapes of masseter according to different mandibular plane angle. The inclination of masseter had a close correlation with some skeletal parameters (mandibular plane angle, ANB, Y-axis, facial angle, saddle angle) of cephalometric analysis. The volume of the masseter also had a close correlation with skeletal parameters (mandibular plane angle, gonial angle, Y-axis). These results revealed that morphometric analysis using synthesized images of cephalogram and masseter is useful, and that the inclination and the volume of masseter may have an influence on the shape of the mandibular bone and its vertical and anteroposterior development.