CT diagnosis of synovial chondromatosis of the temporomandibular joint.

Synovial chondromatosis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a very rare condition. It is characterised by the presence of loose bodies in the joint space. Clinical signs, histopathological findings and radiography play an important role in the diagnostic process. Conventional X-rays have shown to be of limited value, for they fail to depict the intra-articular loose bodies in a significant amount of cases. Axial as well as coronal computer tomography (CT) is extremely useful in detecting loose bodies in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). In this report we present and discuss a further case, and the use of CT in the diagnosis of TMJ-synovial chondromatosis is illustrated.