Page 295 - Demo

Autologous fat grafting29311A more invasive approach, which was first described by Thomas et al.(9) in 1992, is the use AFGs around a hip prosthesis, thereby filling out any negative space around the joint. There are only four research groups who published their findings regarding the use of AFG in TMJ TJR surgery, with Wolford et al.(1) being the first to step into the tracks of Thomas et al.(9) in 1997. All four reported positive results, yet it is not common practice to place AFG during TMJ TJR surgery. All three studies by Wolford et al.(1,3,5) were based on accumulating but overlapping data, gathered since 1992. There is room for external validation of these results with a study involving multiple centers, multiple surgeons, and a wider variety of patients. Besides the obvious need for randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of AFG in TMJ TJR, it is of interest as to why this technique does not seem to have been widely implemented yet, despite its beneficial results. A possible explanation could be that the use of TMJ TJR remains relatively limited, resulting in the limited amount of literature dealing on the topic of heterotopic bone formation and AFG transplantation. However, another explanation might be that surgeons find results in daily practice not as good as they are depicted in the studies mentioned above.ConclusionDespite all the positive results regarding the use of AFG in TMJ TJR, scientific evidence remains limited. Further evaluation by means of a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial is needed to achieve more definitive results of this seemingly promising technique.Nikolas de Meurechy NW.indd 293 05-06-2024 10:15