Disc stability after condylar discopexy with open surgery technique: a case report

ABSTRACT

Of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pathologies, temporomandibular disorders (TMD) of discdisplacement present several clinical signs and symptoms, the main ones being joint pain me-asured with the visual analogue scale (VAS) reporting on average VAS>6, and functional inca-pacity measured in mm of mouth opening, reporting on average <30mm in cases of TMD. The present case corresponds to a patient with limitation of mouth opening <15mm, joint pain VAS= 8, and functional limitation. The subject's condition was diagnosed clinically and by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient presented a Wilkes VI lateral dislocation of the left cond-yle disc without reduction, treated with open surgery discopexy, with disc fixation by monocryl suture and retrodiscal thermocoagulation. The patient showed a significant improvement in the removal of pain and in joint function. In clinical checkups at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year, the patient showed decrease of pain levels, from VAS= 8 to VAS= 0, and mouth opening of <15mm to 36mm in the last checkup. Clinical and imaging evaluation at 4 years shows disc stability, with maximum mouth opening of 36 mm, with no disc displacement and clinically asymptomatic VAS = 0. In this case, discopexy with open surgery achieved improvements in functional capacity and removal of pain at short term. Long-term stability was associated with anatomical functions without alteration and without relapse of the symptomatology.