A case of bilateral chronic dislocation of the temporomandibular joint reduced by removal of fibrous adhesive lesions after eminectomy

We performed eminectomy after arthroscopic examination in a patient with chronic dislocation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The operation was done under general anesthesia. Preoperative Tl-weighted magnetic resonance images showed that the articular disc was located anteriorly to the eminence. There was no evidence of deformation. The mandibular condyle was displaced more anteriorly than the disc. On T2-weighted images, joint effusion was bilaterally present around the mandibular fossa in the upper joint space. Arthroscopic examination of the upper joint space revealed fibrous adhesive lesions in the anterior and posterior synovial space. Removal of the fibrous adhesive lesions after opening the TMJ and eminectomy enabled manipulative reduction. There was no relapse of dislocation after operation, and the outcome was good.