Cardiac asystole during arthroscopic surgery of the temporomandibular joint: a case report

Complications of arthroscopic lysis and lavage in internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint - A single institutional experience with review of literature

PURPOSE

To evaluate the complications of arthroscopic lysis and lavage with joint sweep (ALL) procedure in the management of disc derangement of the temporomandibular joint.

METHODS

Patients with internal derangement of the TMJ who were treated by ALL in a tertiary institution from July 2018 to December 2021 were studied retrospectively.

RESULTS

The study included 39 patients (males, n = 14; females, n = 25) and 50 joints. The complications observed in the study were classified into intra and post operative complications. Post operative complications such as pain (16%), swelling (6%), reduced mouth opening (22%) and neurological complications were the most commonly observed ones. Rare complications such as ipsilateral palatal swelling (6%), parapharyngeal swelling (4%), and post operative malocclusion (2%) were also observed.

CONCLUSION

Although the complications of ALL are entirely unavoidable, their incidence can be reduced by strict adherence to standard techniques. Three-dimensional awareness and orientation of the dangerous angles and depth around the TMJ region is mandatory to reduce the complications.

A prospective study of 138 arthroscopies of the temporomandibular joint

Introduction

Internal derangements (ID) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) have a multifactorial etiology and are most often treated conservatively by splints, physical therapy and medications. Only in 2–5% of cases are the treatment surgical, either by arthroscopy or arthrotomy.

Objective

To evaluate improvement of mouth opening, pain relief during function, position of the articular disk and complications following Arthroscopic Lyse and Lavage (ALL).

Methods

A prospective study of 78 patients (138 TMJs) with TMJ ID, 5 males and 73 females, mean age 29.7 years, treated between January 2010 and April 2013, who were refractory to conservative treatment, had limited mouth opening and pain localized to the TMJ during function, and who were submitted to TMJ ALL and followed for a period of 12 months, with periodic reviews.

Results

ALL was effective in 93.6% of cases, with 85.3% experiencing improvement in mouth opening and 91.2% in pain reduction during function, 63% improvement in disk position and a rate of complications of 6.2%.

Conclusion

In this study the ALL exhibited a high rate of success with low morbidity in internal derangements of the TMJ.

Determination of trigeminocardiac reflex during rhinoplasty

In most rhinoplasty procedures, osteotomies are usually required. The osteotomy areas are innervated by sensory branches of the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR) is clinically defined as the sudden onset of parasympathetic activity during stimulation of the trigeminal nerve. When an osteotomy is performed or external pressure is applied over the nasal bone, the infraorbital nerve may send signals via this nerve. The aim of this prospective study is to determine the blood pressure changes and occurrence of TCR during rhinoplasty. one hundred and eight patients were enrolled into the study. Lidocaine and adrenaline combination (LAC) was injected only into the left lateral osteotomy sites. All patients underwent median, right-side, then left-side lateral osteotomies and nasal pyramid infracture. The haemodynamic changes were recorded. A 10% or more decrease in the heart rate from baseline was considered a TCR. TCR was detected in nine patients following lateral osteotomies and nasal pyramid infracture procedures (8.3%). The authors determined that LAC injection prior to osteotomy did not prevent TCR. Manipulation at or near the infraorbital nerve during rhinoplasty may cause TCR, even if local anaesthetic infiltration is used.

Complications of Temporomandibular Joint Arthroscopy: A Retrospective Analytic Study of 670 Arthroscopic Procedures

PURPOSE

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthroscopy has been considered a safe surgical procedure in the treatment of TMJ derangement. However, it is not exempt from complications. This study evaluates the complications of arthroscopy in patients with internal derangement of TMJ.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Five hundred consecutive patients (670 joints) with TMJ derangement who underwent arthroscopy between 1995 and 2004 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients were classified as II to V in the Wilkes classification. Lysis and lavage, electrocautery of the posterior ligament, injection of corticoids, injection of ethanolamine, myotomy of lateral pterygoid muscle attachments, myotomy and electrocautery, motor debridement, injection of sodium hyaluronate, and meniscal suture were performed in different patients.

RESULTS

Complications were recognized during or immediately after the surgery. They were observed in 5 of 341 (1.26%) arthroscopies of the right TMJ and 4 of 329 (1.21%) arthroscopies of the left TMJ. A 1.34% complication rate was found in the whole series. No blood clots within the external auditory canal were observed. Bleeding within the superior TMJ space was observed in 57 cases (8.5%), 36 of them in the right TMJ and 21 in the left TMJ, but they were not considered as true complications. Lacerations of the external auditory canal were found in 2 cases (0.3%), with no cases of perforation of the tympanic membrane. Lesion of the auriculotemporal nerve was observed in a case. Paresia of the facial nerve was found in 4 cases (0.6%). Alteration of visual accuracy of the ipsilateral eye was also observed in a patient immediately after the surgery.

CONCLUSION

Special care must be taken to reduce complications within the upper joint space by means of an adequate instrumentation and by paying attention to essential points of the arthroscopic technique.