Clinical outcome of arthrotomy after failed arthroscopy

Objective: The purpose of this article was to retrospectively examine patients who had undergone an arthrotomy after a previous arthroscopy had failed to relieve their symptoms. Study design: Nine patients who fulfilled these requirements and who were at least 6 months after their second surgery were retrospectively examined using a 16-item questionnaire and a craniomandibular index examination. They were asked to describe their perception of the frequency and intensity of temporomandibular joint, jaw, neck, and ear pain using visual analogy scales. Results: Five of the nine patients felt they were improved after the second surgery. The craniomandibular index examination did not prove to be a useful instrument in separating this group of patients. Visual analog scales showed clear differences between the two groups. Conclusion: Although a number of patients were helped by the second operation, these data suggest caution in offering this option to patients.