Temporomandibular Joint Arthroscopic Surgical Techniques

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgical arthroscopy has become a usual operation to treat different pathologies such as internal derangements and degenerative joint diseases and osteoarthritis. Although many instruments such as palpators, forceps, scissors, scrapers, scalpels, and motorized terminals are needed to perform different arthroscopic surgical procedures, it is of paramount importance to have devices that allow the surgeon to cut and coagulate tissues safely. Coblation (cold ablation) is a process that using a radiofrequency electrical energy passing through saline solution and produces plasma that can be applied precisely to tissues to break molecular bonds within cells. This surgical technique has become the best surgical option to perform different arthroscopic surgical techniques. Coblation of synovitis areas, lysis of adhesions, disc mobilization techniques with the anterior release (capsulotomy or myotomy), and posterior coagulation of the retro discal tissues are the most common procedures performed. Disc perforations, bone chondromalacia, synovial chondromatosis (SC), and joint hypermobility can also be treated using coblation technologies.