Development of trismus in a case of temporal arteritis

Publication date: Available online 5 August 2019Source: Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medicine, and PathologyAuthor(s): Hiroki Inoue, Motonobu Achiwa, Takashi Takemoto, Kenichi KuritaAbstractGiant cell arteritis, which most frequently occurs in individuals over 50 years of age, is a vasculitis of unknown etiology characterized by inflammation of the carotid arteries and their branches, particularly the temporal arteries. An 85-year-old woman visited our department with chief complaints of pain in the right temporomandibular joint and trismus. She had a history of gastric ulcer, but no notable family history. The left mandibular tooth #12 had been extracted at a local dental office. Subsequently, the patient developed pain in the area extending from the right temporomandibular joint to the occipital region and trismus. As these symptoms did not improve, she was referred to our department. Also, the causative tooth for oral pain was unknown, and so analgesic drugs were prescribed under a provisional diagnosis of suspected temporomandibular disorder. Two days later, the patient returned to us because of fever and worsening malaise. Marked elevation of white blood cell count (12,800/μL) and C-reactive protein level (33 mg/dL) led to emergency hospitalization. The cause of fever was unknown and the patient was therefore systematically examined in the internal medicine department, and giant cell arteritis was suspected. Based on biopsy results, giant cell arteritis ...
Source: Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medicine, and Pathology - Category: ENT & OMF Source Type: research