2018 Volume 30 Issue 1 Pages 59-64
We report a case of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis caused by psoriatic arthritis. The patient was a 35-year-old male. He developed erythema of the skin and was diagnosed with psoriasis vulgaris, at approximately 30 years of age. He was referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital of Dentistry in 1994, with the chief complaint of bilateral TMJ pain and difficulty in opening the mouth. The mouth-opening range was 32 mm. Conservative treatment based on mouth-opening exercises was initiated, but the pain did not improve. Therefore, we performed bilateral discectomy and arthroplasty of the TMJs. The mouth-opening range improved to 39 mm. However, 5 years after the surgery, the mouth-opening range decreased to 18 mm. Bilateral osseous ankylosis of the TMJs was found, so we performed bilateral TMJ mobilization. For 17 years since the surgery, he has continued mouth-opening exercises and psoriasis treatment, and his jaw movement remains good.
