Preoperative and postoperative audiologic measurements in patients undergoing arthroscopy of the TMJ

This article examines the hearing patterns of patients who have undergone arthroscopic surgery using pre- and post-operative pure tone audiometry. Of 29 patients (44 operated joints), one side of one patient showed a decrease of 15 dB immediately postoperatively. On examination there was no apparent anatomic disturbance of the middle or inner ear. The patient regained normal levels of hearing within 2 months. It is concluded that arthroscopic surgery of the TMJ is safe with respect to the middle and inner ear and that it does not affect hearing levels.