Endoscopically-guided core biopsy of the condylar head

Abstract

The effective management of mandibular cysts and tumours relies on obtaining an accurate tissue diagnosis with the acquisition of specimens representative of the lining and/or contents of the lesion. Access to such abnormalities is not commonly an issue since bony windows can be made in readily accessible areas. However, less accessible regions such as the ascending ramus, coronoid process and condyle can be surgically challenging without an extensive lateral approach. This paper reports a minimally-invasive technique in which an endoscope was used to facilitate the core biopsy of a condylar lesion.