Internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint: radiologic staging with clinical, surgical, and pathologic...

The radiologic findings from 60 patients with 86 internally deranged temporomandibular joints (TMJ) upon whom sequential imaging procedures had been performed over a period of two months to ten years were analyzed and correlated with clinical, surgical (72 joints), and pathological observations. Internal derangement of the TMJ disc (meniscus) and osseous structures was found to be an irreversible and progressive disorder with characteristic stages. Internal derangements of the TMJ were divided into early (stage one), intermediate (stages two and three) and late stage (stages four and five) categories based upon radiologic findings obtained with radiography, lateral TMJ tomography and either two compartment arthrography or high field, surface coil MR. After sequential imaging studies, each patient and 72 deranged joints underwent surgical joint exploration and meniscectomy because of progressive joint disease and clinical disability. Surgically removed tissues underwent routine histological evaluation. Surgical and pathologic observations included disc displacement, deformity, hyalination, myxomatous degeneration, perforation of the disc attachments, capsular adhesions, synovitis and mandibular condyle lesions including osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), avascular necrosis (AVN), osseous remodeling and degenerative arthritis. There was excellent correlation between imaging studies and surgical observations. Internal derangement of the TMJ is an irreversible, generally progressive disorder which may be staged and followed with radiography, tomography and either two-compartment arthrography or high field, surface coil MR.