Bifid mandibular condyle: CT and MR imaging appearance in two patients: case report and review of the literature

We describe two cases of a bifid mandibular condyle. The first case is a 48-year-old woman with headaches and a pain and clicking sensation in her right jaw during mastication. The second case is an asymptomatic 17-year-old woman with a history of bilateral microtia and hemifacial microsomia. In both patients, the bifid condyle was first identified by CT and affected the temporomandibular joint. The imaging findings of both patients' bifid mandibular condyles led us to conclude that both patients likely had an abnormal development of the mandibular condyles. We believe that an intervening fibrous or vascular structure may have split the condyle into two heads.