Radiological study of synovial chondromatosis of the temporomandibular joint

Abstract

Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) are usually accompanied by changes in the bone structure of the TMJ brought on by degenerative processes. Osteophytes, erosion, flattening, subchondral sclerosis, pseudocysts, TMJ remodeling, articular cartilage abrasion, bone degradation, and synovial inflammation are among the characteristics of degenerative joint disease. Synovial chondromatosis (SC) is one of the degenerative joint conditions, which is defined by the growth of cartilaginous nodules, which are typically loose in the joint space of the synovial membrane. Its appearance in the TMJ, however, is more uncommon than in other large joints such as the knee and hip and is accompanied by preauricular pain, swelling, and restricted mouth opening. However, we recently encountered cases of degenerative joint disorder, i.e., of SC of TMJ, which showed the typical histopathological findings along with the typical imaging findings on Panoramic radiography (PAN) TMJ and cone-beam computed tomography images.

Keywords

• cone-beam computed tomography
• degenerative joint disease
• synovial chondromatosis
• temporomandibular joint
• temporomandibular joint disorders