Frequency of Occurence of the Discomalleolar Ligament in the Adult Man Frecuencia Aparición del Ligamento Discomaleolar en el Hombre Adulto

The discomaleollar ligament is not described in the anatomy textbooks but was demonstrated by Pinto (1962) and others. It is a ligamentous structure connecting the malleus in the tympanic cavity and the articular disc and the capsule of the temporomandibular joint. This anatomical relationship between the middle ear and temporomandibular joint is supposed to be one of the explanations for the otological symptons associated with temporomandibular joint dysfunction. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of occurence of the discomaleollar ligament. Twenty hemi-heads of adults human were carefully dissected from a superior approach through the middle cranial fossa. The bone of the middle cranial fossa over the temporomandibular joint region and the roof of the tympanic cavity were carefully removed to expose the articular disc, ossicles of the middle ear, lateral pterygoid muscle and other structures in the region. The discomalleolar ligament was found in all studied cases what allow us to suggest that it is an intrinsic ligament of the temporomandibular joint.