Maxillofac Plast Reconstr Surg.  2020;42(1):14. 10.1186/s40902-020-00259-2.

Temporomandibular joint disc plication with MITEK mini anchors: surgical outcome of 65 consecutive joint cases using a minimally invasive approach

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Asan Medical Center, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, 05505, Olympic-ro 88, 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 2Biomedical Engineering Research Center, Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, 05505, Olympic-ro 88, 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Abstract

Background
The purpose of this study is to introduce our modified disc plication technique using MITEK mini anchors and to evaluate the clinical outcome for patients with internal derangement (ID) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Patients and methods
We evaluated 65 joints in 46 patients, comprised 32 women and 14 men, who first visited the Asan Medical Center from December 2012 to December 2016. The age of the patients ranged from 14 to 79 years, with a mean age of 36.6 years. The patients presented with joint problems including pain, joint noise, and mouth opening limitation (MOL). Patients who met our inclusion criteria underwent unilateral or bilateral disc repositioning surgery with our minimally invasive disc plication technique using MITEK mini anchors and No. 2-0 Ethibond® braided polyester sutures. The variables taken into account in this study were the range of maximum mouth opening (MMO), painful symptoms (evaluated with the visual analog scale, VAS), and the type of noise (click, popping, crepitus) in the TMJ.
Results
Preoperative examination revealed painful symptoms in 50.7% (n = 35) of the operated joints (n = 69) and the presence of clicks in 56.5% (n = 39). Postoperative examination revealed that 4.3% (n = 3) of the operated joints had painful symptoms with lower intensity than that in the preoperative condition. Additionally, 17.4% (n = 12) had residual noise in the TMJ, among which two were clicking and the other 10 had mild crepitus. The intensity of the postoperative residual noise was significantly decreased in all cases compared to that in the preoperative condition. Among patients with MOL below 38mm (n = 18), the mean MMO was 31.4mm preoperatively and 44.2mm at 6 months postoperatively, with a mean increase of 13.8 mm. A barely visible scar at the operation site was noted during the postoperative observation period, with no significant complications such as facial palsy or permanent occlusal disharmony.
Conclusion
Subjective symptoms in all patients improved following the surgery. TMJ disc plication using MITEK mini anchors with our minimally invasive approach may be a feasible and effective surgical option for treating TMJ ID patients who are not responsive to conservative treatment.

Keyword

Temporomandibular joint disorders; Disc displacement; Disc plication; MITEK anchor; TMJ surgery
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