Large Osteochondroma in temporomandibular joint space: A case report

Osteochondroma is one of the most common benign bone tumors and however is relatively uncommon in the jaws. The aim of this study was to review the literature about osteochondroma and to report a case of large osteochondroma in temporomandibular joint space. Treatment included osteotomy of condylar neck followed by reshaping.Case report: This study presents a 26-year-old man with a large osteochondroma in temporomandibular joint space in left side of his face with the complaint of facial asymmetry (deviated to the right side). The patient was admitted to the Hospital of Taleghani in Tehran, in October 2002. Condylectomy cannot be recommended as routine in all cases. Common surgical treatments include condylectomy and reconstruction. If the tumor involves only a limited area of the condylar surface, then preservation of the remaining portion of the condyle and reshaping should be done. Reasons for not taking such a conservative approach are the possibilities of malignancy and the risk of recurrence. In this case report, because of large size of tumor, zygomatic arch was broken and osteotomy of condylar neck was used and remaining part was reshaped. The zygomatic arch was returned to the primary position and fixed with miniplate and screw.