A surgical technique for management of internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint.

A study was carried out on 50 patients who had undergone temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery because of chronic joint pain, limited mouth opening, and joint noise. These patients were diagnosed as having internal derangement (disc displacement) of the TMJ. The corrective surgical technique consisted of removing 2-4 mm of the top of the condyle, freeing of the displaced disc, and securely suturing it atop the condylar stump and to the lateral capsule. A three-month period of physiotherapy was done for all patients to rehabilitate the joint. Results have shown that the patients' preoperative signs and symptoms were resolved with no recurrence.