Summary

We present a case of a man aged 20 years who was referred with the inability to open his mouth as a consequence of severe ankylosis of his temporomandibular joint. He had previously undergone an attempt to release the ankylosis at the referring institution; however, this was complicated by an extradural haematoma as a result of iatrogenic injury. We describe a one-stage procedure which provided safe excision of the ankylotic mass along with immediate total joint replacement with a custom implant. We advocate the use of preoperative vascular imaging along with the use of custom-made cutting guides to minimise vascular injury.