TMJ Disc Blood Supply — MFDS Part 1 MCQ
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Correct answer: C — Vessels are concentrated at the peripheral attachments, while the central load-bearing region is avascular and nourished from synovial fluid
Explanation lettering: E = shown as A · C = shown as B · A = shown as C · B = shown as D · D = shown as E
A is correct. In the normal adult TMJ, vessels are largely restricted to the disc periphery and its attachment tissues, particularly the vascular retrodiscal tissue. The central load-bearing portion, including the intermediate zone, is essentially avascular and obtains nutrients by diffusion from synovial fluid. Although branches associated with the maxillary and superficial temporal arterial systems contribute to the blood supply around the TMJ, they do not normally form a central intradiscal vascular plexus, excluding B and C. The middle meningeal and ascending pharyngeal arteries may contribute variably to the wider joint region, but neither is the principal source of central disc nutrition, excluding D and E. Intradiscal neovascularisation is more characteristic of pathological internal derangement than of a normal adult disc.
Reference: Yoshida H, Fujita S, Nishida M, Iizuka T. Localization of lymph capillaries and blood capillaries in human temporomandibular joint discs. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation. 1999;26:600–607. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10445480/