1989 Volume 38 Issue 4 Pages 857-869
Arthroscopic examination was performed on 30 joints of 25 patients with closed lock of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The subjects consisted of 3 males and 22 females, ranging in age from 17 to 69 years (mean: 43.9 years). Interincisal opening distance was ranging from 10 to 38 mm (mean: 26.0 mm), with moderate to severe TMJ arthralgia. Under local or general anesthesia, the superior joint compartment was punctured employing Wolf telescope® (1.9 mm in diameter), and examined arthroscopically.
In the results, synovitis of moderate to severe degree existed in 23 joints, predilected on the posterior and anterior recess. In 25 joints, fibrillation of the fibrocartilage located throughout the compartment in various degree, which was identified as an initial change of the eminence in the joint with 2 to 3 months' locking duration. Fibrous adhesion was observed in 23 joints, located from the anterior recess to medial capsule in the joints with 3 to 9 months' locking duration. In 11 joints with long-term closed locking over 10 months, extensive synovitis, fibrillation and adhesion were observed, combined with discal perforation in 4 joints. These results indicated that the intracapsular pathosis was clealy detected through the arthroscopy, and which enabled significant progress in diagnosis and treatment for closed lock TMJ patients.
