To investigate the potential reduction of pain in the postoperative week in patients submitted to temporomandibular joint double portal arthrocentesis with lavage and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) the authors designed a double-blind randomized clinical trial, comparing a treatment group with additional ropivacaine and a control group without ropivacaine.
The infiltration of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) at the end of Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) arthrocentesis is already an established procedure in the treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD). Arthrocentesis is a minimally invasive surgical procedure, which aims to eliminate the inflammatory mediators from the inside of the TMJ. PRP is an autologous concentrate of platelets and growth factors, derived from centrifugated blood. Several studies have described the benefits of PRP: it enhances wound healing because of the presence of cytokines and growth factors, and is also stimulates chondrocytes to biosynthesis of collagen. Ropivacaine is a local anesthetic that has been synthesized for use in infiltration anesthesia and to produce both peripheral and central block. Unlike one of its analogues, Bupivacaine, Ropivacaine anesthetize the sensory fibers without affecting the motor ones. The main goal of this investigation is to test the benefits of adding Ropivacaine to the infiltration of PRP in patients submitted to TMJ arthrocentesis.