OM was a 26-year-old male student who\npresented with chronic recurrent TMJ dislocation\nfollowing wide mouth opening (yawning) of about\none day duration having had about 10 previous\nepisodes (talking, laughing, yawning) all of which were\nsuccessfully treated with the Hippocrates manouvre.\nHe presented with a desire for a definitive treatment.\nPlain X-rays (TMJ views) revealed short mandibular\ncondyles. He had reduction using the Hippocrates\nmanouvre and subsequent immobilization with maxillomandibular\nfixation for two weeks but had a recurrence\nimmediately after. Definitive care was bilateral\neminectomy which involved grounding down of the\narticular eminences using round/acylic burs under\ngeneral anesthesia. There was complete resolution of\nsymptoms, restoration of temporomandibular joint functions and resolution of associated facial nerve\nweakness at five month post-operative review.
AM was a 25-year-old female trader who\ndiscovered that she could no longer close her mouth\nafter yawning a day before presentation. She also had\npain in the preauricular region. This was her first\nexperience of such, and she had no comorbid\nconditions. On examination, it was noticed that she\nhad limitation in mouth opening and closure, her lip\nseal was incompetent and there was bilateral tenderness\nin the preauricular regions. TMJ movement\ntransmission was not detected bilaterally. Radiologic\ninvestigations revealed an anterior displacement of the\ncondylar head beyond the articular eminence. No other\nabnormality was seen. Patient had Hippocrates\nmanouvre done to reposition the head of the condyle\nback in the glenoid fossa and this was successful. Barrel\nbandage was applied to immobilize the joint. The\noutcome as at two (2) days post reduction was a\nsuccessful restoration of TMJ movement