: Herniation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) into the external auditory canal (EAC) is rare. The TMJ and EAC are separated by the anterior bony wall of the EAC. Such a defect can be caused by trauma, infection, neoplasm, inflammation, and in rare cases, congenital bony defects. If asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, supplemental treatment is primarily given, but if the symptoms are severe enough that the patient regularly feels discomfort, surgical procedure is considered. To our knowledge there are no reports about surgery-related complications and recurrence during the postoperative follow-up period for TMJ herniation in English literature. Here, the authors report the first case of implant protrusion after TMJ herniation surgery along with a literature review.

Herniation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) into the external auditory canal is rare as TMJ and external auditory canal are separated by an anterior bony wall of external auditory canal. The bony defect of the anterior external auditory canal can be caused by trauma, otologic procedure, neoplasm, inflammation and a rare congenital bony defect. Conservative treatment is available if the severity of the symptom is mild or asymptomatic. However, surgical procedure is considered if the patient experiences severe distress. There have been no reported cases of surgical-related complications and recurrence during postoperative follow-up period. Herein we report the very first case of foreign body prolapse involving herniation from TMJ extending into the external auditory canal.