Magnetic resonance imaging assessment of temporomandibular joint effusion with limitation of mouth opening after arthroscopic lysis and lavages

抄録

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyse the correlation between the presence of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) effusion and limitation of mouth opening after arthroscopic surgery.Methods: The authors studied 88 joints in 86 patients with TMJ disorders who underwent lysis and lavage in the superior space of the TMJ. The patients were referred for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging before and after surgery. The joints were divided into two categories based on the presence of TMJ effusion. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate differences between distributions for these two groups. The alpha level was set to 0.05.Results: The number of joints with effusion decreased after surgery. However, after surgery, there was no significant difference between the distributions of TMJ effusion for TMJs with and without limitation of mouth opening.Conclusion: The amount of joint effusion in the temporomandibular joint decreased after surgery, but the effusion did not completely disappear even after the clinical symptoms improved. It was suggested that the joint effusion naturally accumulates in a vacant space, the upper joint space located in the lateral recess.