title: Histologic features of the temporomandibular joint disk and posterior disk attachment: comparison of symptom-free persons with normally positioned disks and patients with internal derangement.
abstract: To gain further knowledge about the differences between normal and pathologic anatomy of the temporomandibular joint disk, we examined histologically disks obtained at autopsy from 10 symptom-free persons and compared our findings with observations involving 17 surgically removed disks. The surgical patients had internal derangement and severe long-standing temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction. The normal disks were biconcave, whereas the surgically removed disks were deformed and thicker than the normal disks. Chondrocytes (4 joints), a surface layer of proliferative connective tissue (4 joints), vessels (2 joints), and splitting (4 joints) were seen in the surgical specimens but not in the normal specimens. The surgical specimens also showed higher maximal density of fibroblasts and vessels. It was concluded that surgically removed temporomandibular joint disks demonstrated several histologic alterations that were not seen in normal disks. These characteristics may serve as the basis for development of a histologic grading of pathologic conditions of the temporomandibular joint disk and the posterior disk attachment.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Aichi-Gakuin University, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurita
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Westesson
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Sternby
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lundh
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Toremalm
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D003094:Collagen; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen