In Costa Rica, there is no explicit recommendation from the competent authorities for the use of a specific phantom, so experts must explore what suppliers offer, among which the Normi Mam Digital phantom from PTW stands out. This article presents the results of the dosimetry and image quality control applied to the Normi Mam Digital phantom to validate it as equipment that complies with the recommendations of the Human Health Series No. 17. The results obtained were satisfactory, proving that the equipment complies with the tolerances recommended by international health bodies.

Introduction: In Colombia, the last oral health study showed that about 70% of the population has partial edentulism while 5.2% will have lost all their teeth between the age of 65 and 79. Rehabilitation with implants is an increasingly used option, which requires clinical and radiographic follow-up. Panoramic radiography is a low-cost option, in which it is possible to observe areas of bone loss, mesiodistal angulation of the implant, relationship with anatomical structures and lesions suggestive of peri-implantitis. Reports and analysis of relevant data on radiographic findings associated with dental implants are required to determine the risk factors for their success in patients who use them. Objective: To determine the prevalence and characterize the findings associated with osseointegration implants in panoramic radiographs. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional observational study was carried out with 10,000 digital panoramic radiographs selected by convenience from radiological centers in the city of Bogota, Colombia, of which 543 corresponded to the sample analyzed for the presence of implants. The following were evaluated for each implant: location, position, angulation and distances to adjacent structures, using the Clínicalview® program (Orthopantomograph OP200D, Instrumentarium, USA). Results: The frequency of radiographs with implants was 5.43% with a total of 1,791 implants, with an average of 3.2 per radiograph. They were found in greater proportion in the upper jaw with a supracrestal location and an angulation of 10.3 degrees. 32% had implant/tooth or implant/implant distances that were less than optimal. 40.9% were restored and 1.2% showed lesions compatible with periimplantitis. Conclusions: A high percentage of the implants reviewed have a risk factor that affects their long-term viability, either due to angulation, supracrestal or crestal position, proximity to teeth or other implants, or because they are not restorable.

Objective: To evaluate the imaging features of spondyloarthritis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the sacroiliac (SI) joints in terms of topography (in thirds) and affected margin, since this aspect is rarely addressed in the literature. Methods: Cross-sectional study with MRI (1.5 T) evaluation of the SI in 16 patients with diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis regarding the presence of acute (subchondral bone edema, enthesitis, synovitis and capsulitis) and chronic changes (erosions, subchondral bone sclerosis, bone bridging and fatty replacement), performed by two radiologists, blinded to clinical data. MRI findings were correlated with clinical data including age, disease duration, medications, HLA-B27, BASDAI, ASDAS-VHS and ASDAS-PCR, BASMI, BASFI, and mSASSS. Results: Bone edema pattern and erosions showed predominance in the upper third of SI (p = 0.050, p = 0.0014, respectively). There was a correlation between the time of disease and structural changes by affected third (p = 0.028-0.037), as well as the presence of bone bridges with BASMI (p = 0.028) and mSASSS (p = 0.014). Patients with osteitis of the lower third had higher ASDAS values (ESRV: p = 0.011 and CRP: p = 0.017). Conclusion: Chronic inflammatory changes and the pattern of bone edema predominated in the upper third of the SI, but there was also concomitant involvement of the middle or lower thirds of the joint. The localization of involvement in the upper third of the SI was insufficient to differentiate between degeneration and inflammation.

Objective: To evaluate the ponticulus posticus according to the skeletal relationship found in strict lateral radiographs at the Centro Dental Docente of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia during the period 2015–2017, using the classification according to the degree of mineralization described by Selby and Steiner’s skeletal relationship classification. Material and methods: It was performed on digital strict lateral radiographs using a 20-inch screen using the SIDEXIS XG program, observing the degree of mineralization of the ponticulus posticus: without evidence of the bony spicule over the vertebral artery = absent bridge, when spicule formation and/or calcification was noted or evident in the middle of the bridge or incompletely = partial bridge, when the bony arch was evident finished visualizing = complete bridge and the classification of the skeletal relationship by measuring the ANB angle: Class I = 0–4°; Class II = >4° and Class III = <0°: the statistical analysis was done with the SPSS V program.22.0 for Windows using the Chi-square tests. Results: Of the 925 digital strict lateral radiographs evaluated, 283 radiographs were found to present ponticulus posticus and the highest frequency was found in the absent type (69.4%), the partial type (17.1%) and the complete type (13.5%). The ponticulus posticus was present in 25.1% of the female and 38.4% of the male. The skeletal relationship associated with ponticulus posticus was present in Class II (19.1%), Class I (10.4%) and Class III (1.1%). Conclusions: The ponticulus posticus is an anatomical variant present in 30.6% of cases. No statistically significant difference was found between the presence of ponticulus posticus and skeletal relationship or sex.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic cancer characterized by clonal proliferation of plasma cells within the bone marrow. It is the most serious form of plasma cell dyscrasias, whose complications—hypercalcemia, renal failure, anemia, and lytic bone lesions—are severe and justify the therapeutic management. Imaging of bone lesions is a cardinal element in the diagnosis, staging, study of response to therapy, and prognostic evaluation of patients with MM. Historically, the skeletal radiographic workup (SRW), covering the entire axial skeleton, has been used to detect bone lesions. Over time, new imaging techniques that are more powerful than SRW have been evaluated. Low-dose and whole-body computed tomography (CT) supplants SRW for the detection of bone involvement, but is of limited value in assessing therapeutic response. Bone marrow MRI, initially studying the axial pelvic-spinal skeleton and more recently the whole body, is an attractive alternative. Beyond its non-irradiating character, its sensitivity for the detection of marrow damage, its capacity to evaluate the therapeutic response and its prognostic value has been demonstrated. This well-established technique has been incorporated into disease staging systems by many health systems and scientific authorities. Along with positron emission tomography (PET)-18 fluorodeoxyglucose CT, it constitutes the current imaging of choice for MM. This article illustrates the progress of the MRI technique over the past three decades and situates its role in the management of patients with MM.