Correlation of Arthroscopic and Histologic Findings in Synovial Membrane Disease of the Temporomandibular Joint.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to correlate specific arthroscopic findings in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthroscopy and histologic results from arthroscopic-guided synovial biopsy.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was completed of patients who had undergone arthroscopy and arthroscopic synovial biopsy from January 1, 2011 to March 31, 2016 at the senior author's practice in Miami, Florida. The demographic, arthroscopic, histologic, serologic, and historical variables were recorded by electronic medical record review. Two-tailed Fisher's exact tests were used to test the correlation of the arthroscopic and histologic variables.

RESULTS

A total of 210 patients were included in the present study. The mean age was 43.1 ± 18.8 years, and the study population included 91.7% women. The following histologic findings had significant associations: lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate with petechiae synovitis (P = .0018), chronic inflammation with joint stenosis (P = .019), and crystal deposition with visualization of crystals (P = .0472). Hyperplastic synovium found on histologic examination was associated with both petechiae synovitis and adhesions. Histologic vascular proliferation was associated with synovial plica and joint stenosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from the present study indicated an association between specific findings during arthroscopy and histologic findings. A prospective study is required to validate the findings to evaluate their utility in patient care.