Assessment of the sinus lift operation by magnetic resonance imaging

Objectives Vertical bone loss in edentulous maxillary alveolar processes may necessitate a sinus lift before the placement of dental implants. We have measured and assessed maxillary sinuses meticulously before the operation and evaluated the postoperative results of the operation with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods Thirteen edentulous maxillary regions in eight patients were included in the study. The patients were examined 1 week before and 3 months after the sinus lift operations using a 1.5 T superconductive MR imager that gave oblique sagittal T2-weighted images with slices 2 mm thick without a gap. Results The images that were obtained 3 months after the sinus lift operations confirmed that vertical height had increased. Conclusion We obtained high quality images without any artefacts during a short examination period with a high-resolution scanner. The results showed that it is possible to assess the maxillary sinus before the sinus lift and to evaluate the postoperative results using MRI accurately in three dimensions without the risk of radiation. This makes MRI a suitable alternative to computed tomography (CT).