Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Autologous blood injection for treatment of recurrent temporomandibular joint dislocation*

https://doi.org/10.1067/moe.2001.116602Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to reintroduce a rather simple, safe, minimally invasive, and rapid alternative procedure for the treatment of recurrent dislocation of the condyles. Study Design: Subjects were 3 patients (5 joints) who suffered from recurrent condyle dislocation. The technique consisted of visually identifying a line from tragus to the eye angle. Then the articular fossa point was identified in this line, 10 mm anteriorly to tragus and 2 mm below the line. A 19-gauge needle was inserted at the articular fossa point. After injection of saline in the superior compartment, 5 cc of autologous blood drawn from the cubital fossa was injected (4 cc in the superior compartment and 1 cc in the pericapsular tissue). After this an elastic bandage was applied and left for the first 24 hours. Patients were advised to constrain their mandibular motion and to eat only soft foods for a week. They received cephalosporin antibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for 7 days. A week after the procedure, supervised physiotherapy was started and the patients were encouraged to increase their mandibular opening to 40 mm. Results: Postoperative recoveries were uneventful. Dislocation of condyles did not reoccur; however, patient no. 3 experienced an episode of unilateral subluxation. At follow-up all patients presented with normal mouth opening. Conclusion: Bleeding resulted from the introduction of a needle for injection in the pericapsular tissue. Blood coming from this wound, associated with autologous blood injected in the superior compartment, generates a bed for fibrous tissue formation in the region, creating a limitation of mandibular movement, thus ceasing dislocation of the condyles. Temporomandibular joint autologous blood injection is a simple procedure performed on an outpatient basis that we advise as an alternative treatment for patients with recurrent dislocation of the condyles. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2001;92:390-3)

Section snippets

Description of the technique

The technique may be applied while the patient is under local anesthesia, local anesthesia combined with sedation, or general anesthesia. After preparing the patient in the usual manner, the surgeon must visually identify a line from the tragus of the ear to the eye angle. The articular fossa point (AF) is found on this line, 10 mm anterior to the tragus of the ear and 2 mm inferior to the line. Local anesthesia of the auricular temporal nerve is applied to the patient, and a 19-gauge needle is

Case reports

All patients were treated in the Department of Oral and MaxilloFacial Surgery (OMFS) at the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, Israel. There were no complications after the procedure, and at follow-up all patients presented with normal mouth opening.

Discussion

Laughing, yawning, vomiting, and forced mandibular opening during dental treatment or some medical procedures, such as endoscopies and direct bronchoscopies, can cause the dislocation of the condyle. Once the mouth is forced open, excessive looseness of the mandibular and capsular ligaments occurs. This looseness may cause hypermobility of the mandible, which may lead to dislocation of the condyle.

Hypermobility is characterized by an excessively loose TMJ that permits excessive mandibular

References (10)

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    Citation Excerpt :

    In the future, we intend to investigate the prognosis and accumulate many more cases of minimally invasive treatment for habitual TMJ dislocation using ABI around the TMJ capsule in patients at high risk from surgical treatment. In another report, Hasson and Nahlieli (2001) mentioned that restraining mandibular movement is the key to the success of the procedure. The pain that follows the injections will also restrain mandibular movement, permitting the injected blood to settle and create fibrosis.

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Reprint requests: Oscar Hasson, DDS, Department of Oral and MaxilloFacial Surgery, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel 76100, [email protected]

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