To evaluate the involvement of intraarticular (IA) infliximab (IFX) in the management of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthritis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) that is refractory to systemic treatment and IA corticosteroid therapy.
Ours was a retrospective study of children with JIA who received IA IFX into the TMJ. The effectiveness of treatment on the progression of acute and chronic changes was assessed by a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging scoring system.
Median acute and chronic scores worsened by 0.25 and 0.75, respectively. In multivariate analysis, worsening acute scores and passage of time predicted worsening of the chronic scores.
IA IFX allowed for progression of refractory TMJ arthritis in most but not all children with JIA.