Prevention and Treatment for the Rare Complications of Arthroscopic Surgery in the Temporomandibular Joint

Purpose To analyze the rare complications of arthroscopic surgeries in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and to investigate the preventive and treating methods. Patients and Methods In this study, 2,034 consecutive patients (2,431 joints), diagnosed as TMJ internal derangement, were treated by arthroscopic surgeries when visiting the TMJ clinic at the Ninth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, between May 2001 and September 2009. The clinical complications were analyzed to investigate cause, prevention, and control measures. Results Of all 2,034 cases, the complications were shown as follows: 5 joint hemorrhages of the lateral pterygoid muscle vascular, injuries of the lateral masseteric nerve in 5 joints, 3 joints with broken instruments, rejection reaction in 2 joints, and perforation of tympanic membrane in 2 joints. Conclusions Arthroscopic surgery was a safe and effective method to treat TMJ internal derangement; its complications were limited and acceptable, but an experienced operator was required for this surgical technique.