The scans of 100 consecutive patients referred for computed tomographic examinations that included the oropharynx were reviewed with regard to calcifications of the palatine tonsillary region. Calcifications were found in 20% of the female patients and 13% of the male patients. Ten patients had one calculus, and six had two or more. The sizes of the calculi ranged from 1 to 7 mm. Tonsillary calculi must be included among the diagnostic possibilities when survey radiographs of the neck show soft-tissue calcifications.

Thirty-six temporomandibular joints (TMJs) in 28 symptomatic patients (aged 14-40 years) with rheumatic disease (mostly rheumatoid arthritis) were studied with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and hypocycloidal tomography. MR images of four TMJs were normal. Another four TMJs showed internal derangement. Of the 28 TMJs presumed to show rheumatic disease involvement (26 with condylar destruction or deformation), 23 showed abnormal disk structure--five showing severe disk destruction and 18 showing less severe abnormalities (inhomogeneous structure, fragmentation, poor delineation, and severe flattening). MR images showed bone abnormalities in 27 of the 36 TMJs, and tomography showed abnormalities in 25 of the 36 TMJs. Good agreement between the two imaging modalities regarding surface irregularities was found. However, MR imaging demonstrated more extensive bone abnormalities than did tomography in 11 TMJs. The potential of MR imaging for depicting bone and soft-tissue abnormalities associated with rheumatic TMJ involvement was clearly demonstrated.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of 36 temporomandibular joints (TMJs) in 27 patients and six healthy volunteers was performed before and after injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Twelve asymptomatic joints were used as controls, 12 TMJs had symptomatic internal derangement, and 12 TMJs had rheumatic inflammatory disease. A small or moderate joint effusion was seen in one asymptomatic joint, four joints with internal derangement, and one joint with rheumatic involvement; in all of these, contrast enhancement of the effusion was observed. A large effusion in one rheumatic joint was enhanced only after delayed imaging. In healthy controls and patients with internal derangement, no or only minimal enhancement of intraarticular tissues was seen. Eleven of the 12 rheumatic TMJs showed moderate or intense soft-tissue enhancement along the disk and articular surfaces (ie, in areas normally devoid of synovial membrane). The one rheumatic joint without enhancement had bony ankylosis and no remaining soft tissue within the joint space. Gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging of the TMJ may effectively depict the proliferating synovium of rheumatic inflammatory joint disease.

To elucidate the reliability of CT in the assessment of bronchiectasis. a retrospective study of high resolution CT and bronchography was carried out. A segment by segment comparison of 259 segmental bronchi from 70 lobes of 27 lungs in 19 patients was performed using bronchography as standard. CT was positive in 87 of 89 segmental bronchi with bronchiectasis giving a false-negative rate of 2%. CT was negative in 169 of 170 segmental bronchi without bronchiectasis at bronchography, giving a false-positive rate of 1%. There was agreement between the two modalities in identifying the different types of bronchiectasis.