Introduction. Pathology of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the urgent problems of modern maxillofacial surgery. In the early stages following cartilage
damage, the loss of proteoglycans and collagen mesh disorder leads to functional disorders and difficulties in daily life. The aim of the present work was to diagnose the damage to cartilage and bone components of TMJ in traumatic fractures of the mandibular condylar process (MCP), and to study the correlation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results and biochemical parameters in dynamics. Materials and methods. 22 males with traumatic condylar fractures were considered for the study. All patients underwent MRI upon admission, for 30 and 180 days after the treatment. To study the degree of bone and
cartilage damage of TMJ, the levels of pyridinoline (PID) and deoxypyridolin (DPID) were determined by fluorescent immunoassay in the urine samples of patients, both before
the treatment and after 21, 30 and 180 days. Results and discussion. Upon admission after MRI, only 22.73±9.14% of the subjects showed damaged joint surfaces while, on the 30th day – 31.82 ± 10.16% and on the 180 day – 40.91±10.73%. Biochemical studies performed in the first days after injury showed an increased PID in all patients and increased levels of DPID in 20 patients, with average values of 150.82±10.73 and 37.00±2.22 nmol/mmol creatinine, respectively. Conclusions. MRI offers good analysis of all structures in joints, being able to detect damage to the articular cartilage only when present, and less suitable for detecting cartilage disorders as a disease stage, which precedes the lesion. Instead, tissue markers of PID and DPID bone destruction can be used to diagnose lesions of cartilage structures in very early stages and make predictions on the disease and its treatment.
- bone and cartilage damage
- condylar fractures
- temporomandibular joint