2008 Volume 54 Issue 10 Pages 567-571
Osteochondroma is an outgrowth of medullary and cortical bone, covered with a cartilaginous cap that projects from the cortical bone surface of the involved bone. In the mandibular region, solitary osteocartilaginous outgrowths of the coronoid or articular processes were reported previously. In this report, we describe the clinicopathologic characteristics of a case of osteochondroma arising in an articular process of the mandible.
A 31-year-old man visited our clinic because of trismus. A radiographic examination showed a well-circumscribed ovoid radiopacity in the left temporomandibular joint. Computed and three-dimensional tomographic scans showed a large bony mass at the medial surface of the left condyle. The mass extended superiorly towards the cranial base. The patient underwent surgical extirpation with condylectomy. The resected specimen measured 45×30×21mm, and the histological diagnosis was osteochondroma. His occlusion was stable, and no functional disturbances have occurred as of 8 years after surgery.
