Temporomandibular joint reconstruction with a 2-part chrome-cobalt prosthesis, chondro-osseous graft, and silastic: clinical and experimental studies.

Seventy-six patients including 27 females and 49 males, with ages ranging between 4 and 35 years (mean, 19.5 y), all experienced loss of weight, stiff temporomandibular joints and inability to chew food, and facial deformities. These patients were treated in the Maxillofacial Unit, Surgical Specialties Hospital, Medical City, Baghdad, Iraq, using 4 different techniques according to the requirement of each case and the facilities available. These patients were divided into 4 groups: the first group consists of 16 children (21.06%) treated with a chondro-osseous graft; the second group, 10 children (13.16%) treated with a 2-part chrome-cobalt prosthesis; the third group, 32 children (42.11%) treated with a Sialastic rubber silicone implant (Koken Co, Tokyo, Japan); and the fourth group, 18 children (23.69%) treated with interposition arthroplasty with a temporalis muscle flap. The follow-up period of the cases ranged between 3 and 15 years. Experimental studies were done on using rabbits to assess the viability of the chondro-osseous graft and on monkeys to demonstrate the biological acceptability of the 2-part chrome-cobalt prosthesis. The aim of this clinical and experimental study was to show our experience in managing difficult tasks that craniofacial or maxillofacial surgeons may face and to share these experiences with other colleagues all over the world.