Ganglion cyst of the temporomandibular joint

Ganglion cyst of the temporomandibular joint with intracranial extension in a patient presenting with seventh cranial nerve palsy

“…Cysts arising from the TMJ may be histologically identified based on the cell type in the cyst wall. 7,8 Cysts lined by synovial cells should be considered a separate entity from cysts lined by fibrous connective tissue (ganglion cysts), even though distinction between the two has been blurred in previous reports. Both forms of cysts can arise from trauma: synovial cysts are thought to arise primarily from an inflammatory response, whereas ganglion cysts arise from myxoid degeneration of the connective tissue of the joint capsule.…”

“…6 Despite the different causes and histological descriptions, the clinical characteristics and treatment of these two types are often the same. 7,8 The clinical presentation of patients with synovial cysts of the TMJ is generally nonspecific. Patients may report pain with jaw movement and localized tenderness to touch or may only describe a preauricular lump without associated pain.…”

“…Patients may report pain with jaw movement and localized tenderness to touch or may only describe a preauricular lump without associated pain. 7 No previous cases of intracranial extension or seventh cranial nerve palsy have been reported in the literature. Ali et al 2 reported the case of a patient with a TMJ ganglion cyst who presented with auricle paresthesia that was thought to have arisen from compression of the auriculotemporal nerve.…”

“…Otherwise, symptoms from cysts arising from the TMJ have been relatively confined to the location of origin, with local symptoms such as pain, clicking with jaw opening, or limited range of jaw motion. 2,[6][7][8] Cases of ganglion or synovial cysts of the TMJ presented in the literature remain scarce, with as few as 24 cases of either type of cyst documented from 1977 to 2005. 2 This case establishes facial nerve palsy and intracranial extension as a possible complication of ganglion cysts arising from the TMJ.…”

A Ganglion Cyst of the Temporomandibular Joint

“…Surgical excision has usually been performed by using a preauricular approach and is considered to be the procedure of choice. Although there is a case establishing facial nerve palsy and intracranial extension, patients with asymptomatic lesions may undergo some period of conservative management, because there are some cases of spontaneous regression [4]. …”