Abstracto

Chondromalacia as pathological finding in arthroscopy of the temporomandibular joint

Diana Carolina Correa Munoz

Arthroscopy applied to the TMJ in the early 80s, together with the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has enabled us to diagnose and understand pathological findings never seen before on these joint, such as roofing, synovitis, adhesions, chondromalacia, perforation of the articular disc or free articular bodies. The diagnosis of these entities can be difficult even when advanced imaging test (MRI dynamic or cineresonance) are used, therefore arthroscopy may be the only one to diagnose it properly. The documentation of the findings obtained during the arthroscopic examination is extremely important, not only for diagnosis, but also to study the effectiveness of the different therapeutic methods in the pathology of the temporomandibular joint. Therefore, arthroscopic surgery is generally preferred as an initial surgical procedure because it is less invasive than the open surgery and is effective in the diagnosis and treatment of pain and/or dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint.