LAUSR

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine the reproducibility of vertical subluxation parameters using X-ray, computed tomography and tomosynthesis while comparing the head-loading effects. METHODS The vertical subluxation parameters of 26 patients (retrospective review) were evaluated. Using the intra-class correlation coefficient, we statistically examined the intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities of the parameters. Head-loaded and -unloaded imagings were compared using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS The intra-rater reliability of tomosynthesis and computed tomography showed intra-class correlation coefficients of ≥0.8 (X-ray range: 0.6-0.8), with similar results for the inter-rater reliabilities. Further, in the head-loading imaging, the tomosynthesis had significantly higher vertical subluxation scores than computed tomography (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In comparison with the X-ray, tomosynthesis and computed tomography were more accurate and reproducible. In terms of head loading, the vertical subluxation values for tomosynthesis were worse than those for computed tomography, indicating that tomosynthesis was more effective than computed tomography in diagnosing vertical subluxation.