Preserved costal cartilage homograft application for the treatment of temporomandibular joint ankylosis

Ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint has been a daunting problem in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Condylectomy with gap arthroplasty is the basic technique for treatment of the fully grown patient. In the past, reconstruction has primarily been accomplished with alloplastic materials or with autogenous tissue harvested from the patient. Joints reconstructed with alloplastic materials have been subject to complications such as acute infection and chronic inflammatory problems as a result of foreign-body reaction with the immune system. Biologic reconstruction with autogenous materials does expose the patient to the risk of complications at the donor site. In the last 4 years, we have treated seven patients between the ages of 20 and 42 years who had complete temporomandibular joint ankylosis. In each patient, the affected joint was exposed through an extended preauricular incision. The ankylosed mandibular condyle with the surrounding abnormal bone, together with the coronoid process, was resected and removed. The ankylosed area was resected until an improvement of at least 15 mm in the interincisal opening distance was obtained. A solvent-preserved homologous cartilage graft was sculpted according to the size and shape of the gap and was then placed in it as interpositional material. Physical therapy, including active and passive mouth-opening exercises, began on the second postoperative day and continued for 6 months. Patients were observed for 6 months to 4 years. During this period, no major complications were noted, and satisfactory results were obtained. The initial mean interincisal opening distance was 15.2 mm after surgery, and the final mean interincisal opening distance was 32 mm after completion of physiotherapy. No recurrence was seen during the 4 years of follow-up. This technique seems to be an effective, time-saving, and simple alternative to other methods of joint reconstruction in adults who have fairly extensive ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint. In this article, a description of the surgical technique, a review of all cases, and recommendations for the use of this type of graft material are discussed. Our clinical experience over the past 4 years with the use of preserved homologous costal cartilage grafts as interpositional material has been encouraging.