J Oral Maxillofac Surg 69:2120-2127, 2011 Arthroscopic Treatment for Intra-Articular Adhesions of the Temporomandibular Joint ShanYong Zhang, MD,* Dong Huang, MS,† XiuMing Liu, MS,‡ Chi Yang, MD,§ Gerhard Undt, MD, S. Majd Haddad,¶ and ZhuoZhi Chen# Purpose: To introduce arthroscopic surgery of intra-articulator adhesion of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) upper compartment and evaluate its effect. Patients and Methods: One hundred forty-two patients (159 joints) with intra-articular adhesions con- firmed by arthroscope were treated with lysis of the adhesions, intra-articular cleanup surgery, or capsule radiofrequency catheter ablation. One hundred ten patients (123 joints) with disc displacement were treated with the disc repositioning and suturing technique. The follow-up index includes jaw movement, visual analog scale pain value, and patients’ self-evaluation. The therapeutic effect was divided into excellent, good, and poor. Excellent and good patients were defined as effective. Jaw movement and visual analog scale pain value before and after the operation were evaluated by a paired t test. Results: The average follow-up period was 10.3 months (range: 2–27 months), and 33.80% (48/142) of all joints were excellent; 56.34% (80/142) were good, and 9.86% (14/142) were poor. The total effectiveness rate was 90.14% (128/142). Of all patients, 93.66% (133/142) felt more comfortable than they had before the operation. The interincisal opening increased from a preoperative 23.14  5.93 mm (range: 10 – 40 mm) to postoperative 37.48  3.51 mm (range: 30 – 40 mm; P  .01), and the pain scores were reduced from 28.94  23.54 (0 – 80) to 4.44  10.10 (0 – 40; P  .05). Conclusion: The effect of arthroscopic surgery on temporomandibular joint intra-articular adhesion was positive. It can increase the mouth’s range of motion, improve jaw function, and reduce pain during jaw movement. © 2011 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 69:2120-2127, 2011 Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) intra-articulator ad- hesion (IA), a common symptom accompanying TMJ capsule diseases, has a high incidence. 1 It is particu- larly common in chronic disc displacement but rare in *Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People’s Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatol- ogy and Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, China. †Postgraduate, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People’s Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong Univer- sity School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology and Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, China. ‡Resident Doctor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People’s Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatol- ogy and Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, China. §Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People’s Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong Uni- versity School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatol- ogy and Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, China. Professor, University Hospital of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. ¶Intern, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People’s Hospital; Second-Year Dental Student, College of Den- tistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. #Nurse, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People’s Hospital, Collage of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong Uni- versity School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatol- ogy and Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, China. Authors S.Y.Z. and D.H. contributed equally to this work. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Chi Yang: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People’s Hos- pital, Collage of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, 639, Zhi Zao Ju Rd, 200011 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; e-mail: yangchi63@hotmail.com; or Dr Gerhard Undt: gerhard.undt@meduniwien.ac.at © 2011 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 0278-2391/11/6908-0014$36.00/0 doi:10.1016/j.joms.2010.12.039 2120