Diffusion et pénombre : deux pièges du radiodiagnostic préimplantaire

The tomodensitometric maxillary reconstitutions belong to the most powerful available tools to control and carry out the implant treatments. However, penumbra and diffusion, two X-ray use indissociable physical phenomena, can largely harm the precision of these radiological examinations. The objective of this article is to present these two phenomena and their consequences in oral implantology. On a toothless maxillary, their association will reveal the interfaces between bone structures and air cavities to the detriment of residual bone volume. On a facial cranium after large exeresis surgery, the increased X-ray diffusion within the cicatricial fibrous masses will induce an overvaluation of the residual bone structures. These two traps are inevitable and it is important to take them into consideration in order to avoid trusting blindly the pre-implant scanners data.