Abstract:

Objective: To analyze the three-dimensional radiographic characteristics of maxillary radi-cular cysts using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and spiral CT. Methods: Clinical records, histopathological reports, and CBCT or non-enhanced spiral CT images of 67 consecutive patients with maxillary radicular cysts were retrospectively acquired, and radiographic features, including size, shape, expansion, internal structure and relationship with the surrounding tissues, were analyzed. The lesions were divided into three types according to the involved tooth number, as follows: type Ⅰ (single tooth), the epicenter of the cyst was located at the apex of a nonvital tooth, without involvement of the neighbo-ring tooth; type Ⅱ (adjacent tooth involvement), the cyst was located at the apex of a nonvital tooth with involvement of the mesial and/or distal tooth root; and type Ⅲ (multi-teeth), the cyst involved the apexes of ≥4 teeth. Besides, these cysts were classified as another three types on sagittal views, as follows: centripetal, the root apex was oriented centripetally to the center of the cyst; palatal, the cyst was located mainly at the palatal side of the apex; and labial/buccal, the cyst was located mainly at the labial/buccal side of the apex. Results: Totally, 67 patients with maxillary radicular cysts were acquired, including 38 males and 29 females, and their ages ranged from 13 to 77 years. Among them, 46 lesions (68.7%) were located in the anterior maxilla and 65 (97.0%) were round or oval. Labial/buccal cortex expansion was present in 43 cases (64.2%) and palatal cortex expansion in 37 cases (55.2%). The nasal floor was invaded in 27 cases (40.3%), the maxillary sinus was invaginated in 26 cases (38.8%), and root resorption was present in 9 cases (13.4%). The average diameter of lesions was (20.89±8.11) mm mesio-distally and (16.70±5.88) mm bucco-palatally. In spite of the 4 residual cysts, the remaining 63 lesions included 14 type Ⅰ, 26 type Ⅱ and 23 type Ⅲ cysts according to the involved tooth number. Besides, the 63 lesions included 46 centripetal, 15 palatal and 2 buccal cysts on sagittal views. Conclusion: The maxillary radicular cysts were frequently well-circumscribed round or oval radiolucency, with significantly different sizes. According to the involved tooth number, it can be divided into single tooth, adjacent tooth involvement and multi-teeth types. On sagittal views, the root-cyst relationship was centripetal in most cases, while a minority of cysts expanded palatally or buccally.

Key words: Radicular cyst, Maxilla, Diagnostic imaging, Tomography, spiral computed, Cone-beam computed tomography