Artifact Properties of Dental Ceramic and Titanium Implants in MRI

Assessment of the visualization of titanium and ceramic dental implants using various isotropic three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods.

21 dental implants (7 ceramic, 14 titanium) were scanned in vitro with a spatially isotropically resolved three-dimensional gradient echo (FFE), a turbo spin echo (SE) and an ultra-short-echo time (UTE) imaging technique. The resulting absolute volumes of the implants were quantified and the relative error to the theoretical volume was calculated.

Ceramic implants and their periphery could be displayed well in all cases. The observed mean relative error results were 5.4 ± 2.3 % (UTE) to 6.5 ± 4.3 % (FFE). No significant difference was observed between the investigated MRI methods. The transition between implant and surrounding agarose could be shown in all cases without artifacts. Titanium implants resulted in mean relative errors between 1314 ± 350 % (FFE) and 2157 ± 810 % (SE). Here, significant differences were observed between the FFE and the SE and between the UTE and the SE sequence. The periphery of the implants could not be displayed in any case.

Use of the MRI technique for the diagnosis of peri-implantitis, the assessment of anatomical structures and planning of dental implantation is currently very limited but could be used more frequently, provided there are no disturbing or imaging-disturbing materials in the region of interest. MRI technology is not suitable in case of titanium implants. When using ceramic implants, MRI technology is an option.

· MRI allows the artifact-free depiction of dental ceramic implants.. · Titanium implants cause the greatest relative errors in SE techniques.. · The UTE technique shows no significant improvements with respect to artifact behavior over the FFE technique..

· Geibel M, Gelißen B, Bracher A et al. Artefakt-Verhalten von dentalen Keramik- und Titanimplantaten im MRT. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2019; 191: 433 - 441.