Histomorphometric analysis of unilateral condylar hyperplasia in the temporomandibular joint: the value of the condylar layer and cartilage island

This study aimed to describe the condylar layer and cartilage island in subjects with unilateral condylar hyperplasia (UCH). Five individuals (15-18 years old) with a diagnosis of UCH, treated in a university hospital in Temuco, Chile, were included. The analysis examined the presence, extension, and thickness of the layers on the condylar surface, the number, depth, and area of the cartilage islands, and the argyrophilic proteins of the nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) score. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. The fibrocartilaginous layer was thickest (0.13 ± 0.05 mm) and the joint layer was thinnest (0.07 ± 0.01 mm) (P < 0.05). With respect to the number, depth, and area of the islands, case 1 presented the highest values, followed by case 2; the cartilage island was related to the fibrocartilaginous layer (P < 0.05). All cases had AgNOR proteins in the proliferative and fibrocartilaginous layers, as well as the islands with the greatest presence of chondrocytes (P = 0.245). A relationship was observed between the histopathological alterations in the different layers on the condylar surface and the thickness of the fibrocartilaginous layer, as well as the thickness of the latter and the number, depth, and area of the cartilage islands in the trabecular bone.