A case of ganglion in the temporomandibular joint

Abstract

Cystic diseases in the temporomandibular joint, such as synovial cysts and ganglions, are rare. We report a case of ganglion in the temporomandibular joint.
A 59-year-old man was referred to The First Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University because of a swelling in the preauricular region. The swelling had been noticed for 1 month, but there were no other symptoms on clinical examination. There was no evidence of inflammation around the swelling on laboratory examinations. Ultrasonic and MRI examinations showed a mass with a clearly defined margin between the left parotid gland and condyle. The lesion was clinically diagnosed as cystic disease of the temporomandibular joint. We performed enucleation of the cyst and partial condyloplasty under general anesthesia. The cyst was located in the condylar neck and adhered to the lateral pole of the condyle. The lesion was histopathologically diagnosed as a ganglion. The postoperative course of the patient has been satisfactory with no recurrence, trismus, or paralysis of the facial nerve as of 1 year after the operation.