顎関節症患者に対する低出力レーザー効果に関する基礎的研究

レーザー微小循環血流計を用いて

抄録

Acupuncture to the meridian point of “Gekan” has been used to treat theinferior articulator of the patients.
Instead of using a needle, the authors irradiated the inferior articulator several times with a low power laser (Nd: YAG at 350mW). This relieved the pain somewhat, but since the treatment's results were determined by the subjective judgement of the patient, the suthors used thermography to make an objective evaluation of the symptomatic change.
Adding the visual image mixing apparatus to the thermography, we could get the compo und image of thermal and visual images. And we could find more objectively which portion of the muscle for mastication were effected by a localized, contiunous deterioration of muscle tone. Metabolic disturbance caused by localized anemia causes pain.
This pain, in turn, cases neuralgic dysfunction and abnormal jaw movement.
The Laser Doppler Flowmeter (LDF) is a non-invasive instrument capable of instantane ous and continuous evaluation of local flow in tissue microcirculation
This time, using this instrument, we measured the surface blood flow of the skin in the area of the temporo-mandibular joint of patients suffering from MPD syndrome both the ailing and healthy sides before and after exercising the jaw. We also measured the surface blood flow in the ailing side during the irradiation of the low power laser.
We found that the blood flow of the healthy side was greater than than of ailing side. But after the treatment, the difference between the ailing and healthy side was less. And during the irradiation of the low power laser, the blood flow of the skin in the ailing area of the temporomandibular joint became greater.