INTERPOSITIONAL ARTHROPLASTY OF TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT ANKYLOSIS WITH TEMPORALIS MYOFASCIAL FLAP

ABSTRACT

The treatment of TMJ ankylosis poses a significant challenge because of technical difficulties and high incidence of recurrence. TMJ ankylosis has been treated by excision and total joint reconstruction with alloplastic, allogeneic, autogenous materials as interpositional materials. The temporalis myofascial flap had been considered to be a successful interpositional material, due to its anatomical, topographical, and functional properties. This study evaluated the efficacy of the temporalis myofascial flap for nine TMJs (five patients) through the preauricular approach and coronoidectomy. Radiographic and physiologic long term result was investigated in this study. The result reveals that the temporalis myofascial flap is a good autogenous tissue satisfying the criteria of an ideal interpositional material, which offers a material that fulfills the physiological function of the disc. In spite of favorable functional outcome, mild postoperative openbite tendency remains another challenge.