Replacement of the damaged interarticular disc of the TMJ.

Meniscectomy should be abandoned and the removed, damaged disc of the TMJ should be replaced in patients suffering from internal derangement of the TMJ. In seventeen patients the disc which was removed, was replaced with fresh autogenous auricular cartilage. The follow-up period ranged from one to six years with a mean of almost three years. From the analysis of the results we concluded that all patients showed a postoperative improvement in their symptoms and joint function and that the use of intermaxillary fixation for a short period postoperatively had a significant effect on the subsequent increase in mouth opening.