Surgical complications related to temporomandibular joint arthroscopy: a prospective analysis of 39 single-portal versus 43 double-portal procedures

Abstract Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure proposed for diverse TMJ intra-articular disorders. A prospective study was designed with the aim of investigating intraoperative and postoperative surgical complications for single and double-portal TMJ arthroscopy. All interventions were performed by one surgeon with the same surgical protocol. A total of 55 patients were enrolled, resulting in 82 TMJ arthroscopies (28 unilateral and 27 bilateral). A total of 39 single portal (47.57%) and 43 double-portal (52.43%) arthroscopies were performed. No severe and irreversible complications were observed. Most complications were resolved after 4 weeks. Double-portal was associated with more complications (n = 23) compared with single-portal TMJ arthroscopy (n = 14), with a statistically significant difference found between single and double-portal TMJ arthroscopy in two intraoperative complications: intra-articular bleeding (P = 0.044) and oedema of the preauricular area (P = 0.042). This study confirms the safety of TMJ arthroscopy for single and double-portal procedures, with the authors suggesting a multicentre study, in an effort to minimize any possible bias.