MRI examination of the TMJ after surgical treatment of condylar fractures

The position of discs in 20 adult patients whose unilateral condylar fractures were treated by open reduction was investigated by means of magnetic resonance imaging. In four (20%) of the 20 cases, the disc was anteriorly displaced in both the closed mouth and open mouth positions. Three of the four cases had a high condylar neck fracture with dislocation and one had a high condylar neck fracture with displacement. The results of this study showed that repositioning the dislocated condyle did not always lead to anatomical restoration of the joint structures.