Abstract
Morphological changes of condylar heads of 26 TMJ arthrotic patients were followed up by a selected lateral TMJ tomography. An average age of the patients, 5 males and 21 females, was 42 years and 8 months at the time of first radiologic examination. A time of interval between the first and the following examination varied widely with the patient from 2 months and a half to 4 years and 9 months with a mean value of 1 year and 5 months.
Based on the selected lateral TMJ tomograms, a mode of the bony structural changes of the condylar heads were divided into 4 radiologic groups;
(1) Twenty condylar heads (38.5%) with normal shape on initial radiograms showed no remarkable structural changes among examinations.
(2) The structural changes occured on 2 condylar heads (3.8%) which indicated no significant abnormal radiographic appearance at the first examination.
(3) Substantial structural abnormalities were found on the 30 condylar heads at the first examination. Thirteen of them (25.0%) showed little changes during the follow-up period.
(4) On the remained 17 condylar heads (32.7%) with substantial structural abnormalities, more extensive morphological changes of condylar heads were revealed by the follow-up lateral tomography.
Eventually, of the 52 condylar heads, 19 evidently showed different radiographic image among the first radiologic examination and follw-up.
The periodic radiologic follow-up is indispensable for the TMJ arthrotic patients in the current stage of a research for TMJ. Because, if radiograms reveal the bony structural changes at the first visit of a patient, whether they will be in a reparative stage or in a destructive stage is difficult to be evaluated.
