MORPHOMETRIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL-CHANGES IN THE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR-JOINTAFTER ORTHOGNATHIC SURGERY - A MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING AND COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

The possible morphological and morphometric changes in the different c omponents of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) after orthognathic surg ery were analysed using computed tomography (CT) transverse scans and sagittal,and coronal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images. Twenty-f our patients with class III dentofacial deformity were studied. Nine b ad isolated maxillary osteotomies and 15 had combined maxillary and ma ndibular subcondylar osteotomies (MSO). Ten patients were studied as a control group. The patients were studied clinically, radiographically and,vith CT and MRI in four different phases in order to locate the p osition of the mandibular condyle in relation to the glenoid fossa. No statistically significant differences were found in the group of pati ents who had had isolated maxillary osteotomies throughout the four ph ases of the study. Patients treated by bimaxillary surgery showed diff erent condylar movements after surgery. Intra-articular effusion was e vident during the early postoperative period in patients treated by bi maxillary surgery. Although different changes in the position of the b ony components of the TMJ occurred after MSO, these seemed to be trans ient, with no major alterations in the final outcome in the patients.