[What's useful in maxillo-facial surgery imaging: advantages and disavantages of examination modalities (first part)].

Widespread use of multislice volumic CT and rapid 3D reconstructions as well as MR sequences allowing high-resolution tissue characterization have greatly improved the efficiency of face and neck imaging. Panoramic radiography nevertheless remains highly contributive. Sonography has now replaced the standard sialography for the diagnosis of salivary lithiasis. The quality of MR sialography remains subject to sufficiently salivation into the salivary ducts, but without long-lasting retention increasing protein content. Plain radiographs of the face are now out of date.