I was searching google and I found what
looks to be pretty insighful paper on
Arthroscopy vs. Open-joint Surgery. It has
pictures and charts to help determine
which choice of treatment is to be taken.
Freely accessible article "Arthroscopy vs.
Open-joint Surgery"
can be found here:
http://www
.thejcdp.com/issue039/hobeiche/hobeiche.pd
f
They concluded that arthroscopy was able
to reduce pain and increase range of
motion in about 80% of cases.
And here is the abstract:
Aim: The aim of this retrospective study
was to assess the treatment outcome of
arthroscopy and open-joint
surgery in the management of internal
derangement of the temporomandibular joint
(TMJ).
Background: Apart from pain being the
major complaint in patients with
temporomandibular joint disorders
(TMDs), a variety of function-related
symptoms are reported including joint
noises, locking, limited movement,
and alterations in occlusion. Surgical
management procedures of internal
derangement of the TMJ vary widely at
present. The criteria for the assessment
of successful outcome of the treatment are
also variable.
Methods and Materials: The retrospective
study was carried out at two centers in
Paris and Beirut. Sixty-two
female patients with an age range of 35.1
years (28 had arthroscopy and 34 had open
surgery) were included in
the study. The patients were followed-up
for 12 months. A standardized
questionnaire and visual analogue scale
(VAS) was developed and used for the
assessment of pain and mandibular range of
motion. A chi-square test
was used to observe the significance of
difference among both groups.
Conclusion: Within the limitations of this
study, it was concluded arthroscopic
surgery appeared to be safe with
pain reduction and increased mandibular
range of motion for 80% of the patients.
Further research is needed
on a larger prospective sample to assess
the comparison of both techniques in terms
of enhanced quality of life
among the study population.
