Arthroscopic surgery for treatment of anterior displacement of the disc without reduction of the temporomandibular joint

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical results and efficacy of an arthroscopic approach to correct anterior displacement of the disc without reduction of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) with limitation of mouth opening. We studied 28 joints with internal derangement in 23 patients, all of whom had had arthroscopic surgery (lavage, lysis of adhesions in the superior compartment, incision parallel to the disc-synovial crease of the upper joint compartment, and pull back of the anteriorly located disc). Objective and subjective data (increase in maximal interincisal opening, magnetic resonance imaging, and visual analogue pain score, VAS) were collected preoperatively and at 7, 30, 60 days, and 6 months or more postoperatively. Maximal interincisal opening improved from a mean (SD) of 20.4 (±4.5) mm preoperative measurement to 38.9 (±3.2) mm by 6 months postoperatively where indicated in previous line. The VAS showed a significant improvement in pain score (p = 0.0023). Sixty days postoperatively the positions of the discs in 14 of the TMJs had improved considerably. In 13 of the TMJs the positions had improved slightly. Only 1 of the TMJs had not improved at all. There were no complications in any patient. Our arthroscopic procedure is safe, minimally invasive, and effective for the treatment of patients with displacement of the disc anteriorly without reduction of the TMJ.