TABLE 2.

Techniques available for diagnosing periradicular lesions

Diagnostic tool	Pros	Cons	Accuracy
Periapical radiograph	Non invasive Low radiation Available	Non-differentiating Not very accurate	47.6-55.6%
Histopathology	Standard procedure for differentiating radicular cysts Accurate	Needs surgery	N/A
CBCT	Fast Accurate Non invasive	High radiation False positive results Long scanning time	>60.9%
MRI	Accurate, valid and reliable Non invasive Radiation free Superb soft tissue contrast	Long scan time Imaging artifacts Patient cooperation	More accurate than CBCT
Echography	Non invasive Real time image Easy Reproducible Information on the lesion size and its contents and vascularization	Needs cortical bone perforation Inconclusive in some cases, such as lesions containing mineralised tissue	95.2%