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Dentomaxillofacial Radiology (2009) 38, 224-230
© 2009 British Institute of Radiology
doi: 10.1259/dmfr/75198413

RESEARCH

Quantitative analysis of human masticatory muscles using magnetic resonance imaging

HP Ng*,1, KWC Foong2,3, SH Ong4,5, PS Goh6,7, S Huang1, J Liu1 and WL Nowinski1

1Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore; 2Department of Preventive Dentistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 3National University of Singapore Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, Singapore; 4Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 5Division of Bioengineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 6Department of Diagnostic Radiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 7Department of Diagnostic Imaging, National University Hospital, Singapore

*Correspondence to: Hsiao Piau Ng, Research Fellow, Biomedical Imaging Lab, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore, 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, Singapore 138671; E-mail: ng_hsiao_piau{at}sbic.a-star.edu.sg

Received 12 January 2008; revised 19 April 2008; accepted 29 April 2008

Objectives: The objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the correlation between left and right masticatory muscle volumes in normal subjects.

Methods: Contiguous 1 mm MR scans were obtained of 12 normal adult subjects aged 20–25 years using a Siemens 1.5 T MR scanner. The volumes of the human masticatory muscles (masseter, lateral and medial pterygoid) were measured from the scans using our previously proposed method. To test for inter- and intraobserver reproducibility, measurements were performed by two users on two separate occasions, with a span of 2 weeks between them and with the previous results blinded. Good inter- and intraobserver reproducibility was achieved in our study.

Results: The mean volumes for left and right masseters, and lateral and medial pterygoids were 29.54 cm3, 29.65 cm3, 9.47 cm3, 10.23 cm3, 8.69 cm3 and 8.92 cm3, respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficients between the volumes of the left and right masseters, lateral and medial pterygoids are 0.969, 0.906 and 0.924, respectively.

Conclusions: The computed volumes of the masticatory muscles show a strong correlation between the volumes of the left and right masseters, and lateral and medial pterygoids for normal adult subjects. The total masticatory muscle volume on the left and right sides of normal subjects is similar.

Keywords: masticatory muscles; magnetic resonance imaging; imaging, three-dimensional






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