A case of tenosynovial giant cell tumor secondary to synovial chondromatosis in the temporomandibular joint

• Published in: Journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery, medicine, and pathology Vol. 35; no. 6; pp. 572 - 576
• Main Authors: Morishima, Hiromitsu, Nogami, Shinnosuke, Igarashi, Ayano, Imoto, Kazuhiro, Saito, Shizu, Chiba, Masatoshi, Kumamoto, Hiroyuki, Takahashi, Tetsu, Yamauchi, Kensuke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2023
• Subjects: Synovial chondromatosis; Temporomandibular joint; Tenosynovial giant cell tumor; Temporomandibular joint; Synovial chondromatosis; Tenosynovial giant cell tumor
• ISSN: 2212-5558
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajoms.2023.03.009

Synovial chondromatosis (SC) is a condition in which benign nodular cartilaginous proliferation arises in joint synovium, bursae, or tendon sheaths, though rarely occurs in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). A tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) is a benign type of tumor that mainly affects the fingers and knees, with rare occurrence in the TMJ also noted. Reported here is a case of TGCT secondary to SC in the TMJ. The patient was a 49-year-old woman who had been aware of joint noises during occlusion for a long period. After a few years, she visited our department with pain in the left TMJ. T2-weighted MR imaging showed joint effusion in the area corresponding to the upper joint cavity. One year after the initial visit, the patient underwent endoscopy-assisted excision of the tumor and a histopathological diagnosis of TGCT was confirmed. Mouth opening range was maintained at 45 mm with no evidence of recurrence at one year after surgery.