[Intracranial penetration of the mandibular condyle: report on three cases (author's transl)]

Three cases of intracranial penetrations of the mandibular condyle condyle are reported, the published literature reviewed, and therapy discussed. Often unrecognized during initial examinations, they are diagnosed when the patient is seen several months later with permanent constriction of the jaws. Frontal and sagittal tomographic examinations should therefore be performed in the articular region in all cases when it is involved in injuries. Orthopedic reduction gives good results in recent injuries, long-standing cases with temporomandibular ankylosis requiring sub-condylar resection by the pre-auricular approach.