title: Prospective assessment of outcomes following disposable arthroscopy of the temporomandibular joint.
abstract: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a common cause of chronic facial pain that is often treated successfully without operation, but when no improvement is seen arthroscopy may be considered as a therapeutic and diagnostic tool. We prospectively assessed the outcome of 115 arthroscopic procedures to assess the effectiveness and reliability of a 1.2mm disposable arthroscope (OnPoint, Biomet Microfixation, Jacksonville, USA). All patients included had not improved after standard conservative management. Discharge from clinic was classed as a successful outcome. Measurements taken before, during, and after operation included mouth opening and lateral deviations (mm). Pain was assessed before and after operation using a 10 cm visual analogue scale. Mean improvement in pain scores was 69% and in mouth opening was 19%, and overall success was 76%. Compared with a previous study using a 1.9 mm scope there were fewer complications after arthroscopy with the small diameter scope.
authors.affiliation: Maxillofacial Unit, Queens Medical Centre, Derby Raod, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weedon
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sidebottom
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D020679:Arthroscopes; D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004209:Disposable Equipment; D004867:Equipment Design; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D013704:Temporomandibular Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: TMJ arthroscopy; TMJ pain; Temporomandibular disroder (TMD)