Arthroscopy versus arthrocentesis. A retrospective study of disc displacement management without reduction.

Objective: To compare the outcome of arthroscopic surgery and arthrocentesis of internal derangement (disc displacement without reduction) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

Methods: The charts of 48 patients with TMJ derangement and treated with arthroscopy or arthrocentesis were included in this study carried out in a specialized private clinic in Beirut, Lebanon, between January 2001 and July 2005. Inclusion criteria included patients with a history of clicking followed by a sudden onset of limited mouth opening without clicking, a complaint of TMJ pain with mouth opening or chewing difficulty, or both, or a positive magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis of TMJ disc displacement without reduction.