Transparotid Approach for the Treatment of Condylar Osteochondroma and Ankylosis of the Temporomandibular Joint

Among the methods to treat temporomandibular joint (TMJ), preauricular, submandibular, retromandibular, and intraoral approaches have been described. These approaches, however, occasionally offer inadequate access, owing to the oblique course of the facial nerve, and access can be limited, especially to the medial and anterior part of the infratemporal fossa. The use of the transparotid approach can offer direct visualization of the facial nerves to prevent severe damage, and a wide work field can be achieved from the medial- anterior part of the infratemporal fossa to subcondylar region by retracting the mobilized facial nerves in either the superior or inferior direction. The 2 patients reported herein illustrate the addition of a transparotid approach to the standard procedures for the removal of an osteochondroma and condylectomy with displaced bone fragment for ankyloses of TMJ from the infratemporal fossa.