Early Clinical Outcomes of Arthroscopic Management of the Failing Alloplastic Temporomandibular Joint Prosthesis.

PURPOSE: Total joint replacement is the recommended treatment for end-stage temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease. The goal of treatment is to help the return to acceptable function with improvement of the maximum incisal opening (MIO) and a reduction of pain. When a prosthetic joint shows late complications, surgical management includes an open approach, with debridement, cultures, and prosthetic replacement as options. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the early outcomes of arthroscopic management of failing prosthetic TMJs (PTMJs). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The inclusion criteria were patients with custom or stock joints with complaints of limitation of mouth opening and pain, who had undergone arthroscopy. The exclusion criteria were patients with radiographic heterotopic bone formation, improvement with antibiotic treatment, and failed hardware found on imaging studies. RESULTS: A total of 9 patients were included in the present study (all women), with 5 unilateral and 4 bilateral PTMJs, for a total of 13 sides that underwent arthroscopy. Their mean age was 40 years (range, 23 to 65 years). The mean preoperative MIO was 25 mm, and the mean preoperative visual analog scale for pain and functional limitation scores were both 8 of 10. The corresponding scores were 4 of 10 and 3 of 10 at 3 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopic management of prosthetic joints has been reported in orthopedic studies, with benefits shown in the diagnosis and management of synovial impingement and arthrofibrosis. The results from the present study demonstrated that the early clinical outcomes of arthroscopic management of PTMJs is promising for decreasing pain and increasing the MIO. Larger studies with longer follow-up are needed to further classify the different causes of prosthetic failure and advance the approaches to management.

Is Temporomandibular Joint Arthroscopy Effective in Managing Pediatric Temporomandibular Joint Disorders in the Short- and Long-Term?

PURPOSE: Although temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthroscopy outcomes have been well documented in the adult population, conclusive data are lacking for pediatric patients with TMJ disorders. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the early and late outcomes of TMJ arthroscopy in the pediatric population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis to evaluate the short- (1-month) and long-term (1-year) improvements in the visual analog scale (VAS) scores for pain after pediatric TMJ arthroscopy from 2008 to 2016. The arthroscopic interventions varied according to the diagnostic findings and Wilkes classification. The primary outcome variable was the magnitude of VAS score for pain (0, no pain; 100, worst pain) at 1 year postoperatively. The secondary outcome variables were the short-term for the VAS score for pain and the short- and long-term outcomes for perceived jaw dysfunction (0, normal jaw function; 100, complete jaw dysfunction), mouth opening, joint loading (contralateral joint pain when biting on the canine), joint noise, and muscle pain. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical analyses were performed with the significance level set at P < .05. RESULTS: A total of 23 patients (37 joints), with a mean age of 14.1 years (range, 12.8 to 16.7 years) had undergone TMJ arthroscopic surgery with short- and long-term postoperative follow-up data available. The VAS scores for pain showed average improvements of 26% in the short-term (P < .0001) and 25% in the long-term (P < .0008). Perceived jaw dysfunction showed an average improvement of 23.8% in the short-term (P < .0001) and 19.2% in the long-term (P < .0008). The average mouth opening had improved by 5.4 mm in the short-term (P < .0016) and 8.2 mm in the long-term (P < .0001). Controlling for stage and diagnosis, the patients with Wilkes III showed the most benefit with statistically significant improvements in pain, jaw dysfunction, maximum interincisal opening, and joint loading pain. CONCLUSIONS: TMJ arthroscopy could be an effective and minimally invasive form of surgical intervention for treating Wilkes II, III, and IV TMJ disorders in the pediatric population.

Chronic Skull Base Erosion from Temporomandibular Joint Disease Causes Generalized Seizure and Profound Lactic Acidosis.

This report displays a rare presentation of lactic acidosis in the setting of status epilepticus (SE). The differential diagnosis of lactic acidosis is broad and typically originates from states of shock; however, this report highlights an alternative and rare etiology, SE, due to chronic skull base erosion from temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease. Lactic acidosis is defined by a pH below 7.35 in the setting of lactate values greater than 5 mmol/L. Two broad classifications of lactic acidosis exist: a type A lactic acidosis which stems from global or localized tissue hypoxia or a type B lactic acidosis which occurs once mitochondrial oxidative capacity is unable to match glucose metabolism. SE is an example of a type A lactic acidosis in which oxygen delivery is unable to meet increased cellular energy requirements. This report is consistent with a prior case series that consists of five patients experiencing generalized tonic-clonic (GTC) seizures and lactic acidosis. These patients presented with a pH range of 6.8-7.41 and lactate range of 3.8-22.4 mmol/L. Although severe lactic acidosis following GTC has been described, this is the first report in the literature of chronic skull base erosion from TMJ disease causing SE.