Ultrasound-Guided Lower Compartment Injection Of The Temporomandibular Joint

To assess the efficacy of ultrasound guidance for lower compartment temporomandibular joint (TMJ) injection in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography in detecting TMJ disc displacement. Patients diagnosed with TMJ osteoarthritis underwent ultrasound-guided lower compartment injections. Concurrently, color Doppler ultrasound was used to evaluate TMJ structural abnormalities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) served as the reference standard to determine (1) the success rate of ultrasound-guided injections and (2) the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ultrasonography in diagnosing disc displacement. Twenty-five patients (9 male, 16 female) were included. Ultrasound-guided injection was successfully performed in 17 cases (success rate: 68%). Compared with MRI, ultrasound demonstrated a sensitivity of 70%, specificity of 82%, and accuracy of 85% in identifying disc displacement. Ultrasound guidance is a clinically useful technique for TMJ lower compartment injection in TMD patients. Additionally, ultrasonography shows promising diagnostic potential as a noninvasive imaging modality for detecting TMJ disc displacement, though further validation in larger cohorts is warranted.