Advancement of surgical techniques has made it necessary to accurately diagnose internal derangements. Arthrography and computerized tomography have been used to diagnose the majority of temporomandibular joint disorders; however, these methods have had their disadvantages. Magnetic resonance imaging utilizing surface coils has greatly improved the ability to diagnose meniscus abnormalities without using interarticular injections or ionizing radiation. Ninety-two patients (184 joints) were evaluated by means of magentic resonance imaging (MRI). Thirty-one patients (39 joints) were diagnosed as having meniscus perforation. Retrospective reviews of 15 patients (20 joints) with a perforated meniscus diagnosed by magentic resonance imaging preoperatively demonstrated a 65% correlation between the radiographic diagnosis and the surgical findings.