Bony ankylosis is an intraarticular condition where there is fusion of the bony surfaces of the joint : The condyle and the glenoid fossa. It occurs in both children and adults, unfortunately more frequently in the former, in whom early
recognition
and
correction is particularly critical.
Trauma is well proven to be the predominant cause of TMJ ankylosis. Infection, rheumatoid arthritis and neoplasm are another, significant causes of TMJ ankylosis.
The necessity for using an interpositional material to prevent TMJ reankylosis has been widely discussed and many interpositional materials have been used, including temporal muscle and fascia, dermis, auricular cartilage, fascia lata, fat,
Lyo-dura,
Silatstic and various metals.
The temporal muscle and fascia have been widely used pedicled flap for head and neck reconstruction. The use of a temporal muscle and fascia for reconstruction of the TMJ, particularly in cases of ankylosis is a very reasonable option.
Its principle advantages are its autogenous nature, resilience, and proximity to the joint, allowing for a pedicled transfer of vascularized tissue into the joint area.
However, the uiability of temporal muscle and fascia is a critical question.
We treated 2 cases of TMJ ankylosis with temporal muscle and fascia transfer and one case with temporal fascia. We obtaine satisfactory results as to functional aspects.
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