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Vacuum phenomenon in non-open fracture of the mandibular condyle: report of three cases

¹Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; ²Department of Oral Surgery, Nikko Memorial Hospital, Muroran, Japan; ³Geriatric Stomatology, Department of Oral Health Science, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan; ⁴Oral Diagnosis and Medicine, Department of Oral Pathobiological Science, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan; ⁵Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Diagnosis and Medicine, Department of Oral Pathobiological Science, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan

*Correspondence to: Kazuyuki Minowa, Department of Radiology, Hokkaido University School of Dentistry, Kita 13 Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8586, Japan. E-mail: kminowa{at}den.hokudai.ac.jp

Received 8 July 2007; revised 29 September 2007; accepted 8 October 2007

Gas in the joint space was observed in three patients with condylar fracture who were referred for CT examinations of the mandible. CT showed that the condylar fractures were non-open fractures. The gas was only observed in the intrajoint capsule of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Follow-up CT, 4 days after the initial CT, showed that the gas in the joint space was absorbed in one of three cases. In the non-open condylar fractures, the gas collection in the TMJ was considered to be a vacuum phenomenon due to the intact joint capsule of the TMJ on CT.

Keywords: condylar fracture; vacuum phenomenon; temporomandibular joint; computed tomography