Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Complications during and after partial maxillectomy for oral tumors
By MacLellan, Roxane H et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2018·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Intraoperative and postoperative complications of partial maxillectomy for the treatment of oral tumors in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 193 dogs underwent surgery to remove oral tumors, and many experienced complications during and after the procedure. The most common issue during surgery was excessive bleeding, which affected over half of the dogs, and some needed blood transfusions. After surgery, many dogs had problems like nosebleeds, facial swelling, and difficulty eating, but most complications were minor. The study suggests that careful surgical planning and pain management can help reduce these issues, especially for dogs with larger tumors.
People also search for: dog oral tumor surgery complications · why is my dog having nosebleeds after surgery · dog difficulty eating after maxillectomy
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterize and identify factors associated with intraoperative and postoperative complications of maxillectomy in dogs with oral tumors. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. ANIMALS 193 dogs that underwent maxillectomy for oral tumor excision from 2000 through 2011. PROCEDURES Data were extracted from the medical records regarding dog signalment, tumor location and size, histologic findings, clinical stage, maxillectomy category, surgical approach, and additional treatments provided. These factors were examined for associations with recorded intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS The most common intraoperative complication was excessive surgical bleeding (103/193 [53.4%]), for which 44 (42.7%) dogs received an intraoperative blood transfusion. These outcomes were both significantly associated with tumor size and location, maxillectomy type, and surgical approach. Dogs treated with a dorsolateral combined intraoral surgical approach were more likely to have excessive surgical bleeding (48/58 [83%]) and had a longer mean duration of surgery (106 minutes) than those treated with an intraoral approach (29/54 [54%] and 77 minutes, respectively). Complications developing within 48 hours after surgery included epistaxis (99/193 [51.3%]), excessive facial swelling (71/193 [36.8%]), facial pawing (21/193 [10.9%]), and difficulty eating (22/193 [11.4%]). Complications developing within 48 hours to 4 weeks after surgery included lip trauma (22/164 [13.4%]), oronasal fistula formation (18/164 [11.0%]), wound dehiscence (18/164 [11.0%]), and infection (13/164 [7.9%]). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Complications associated with maxillectomy in dogs were generally minor. Aggressive surgical planning, preparedness for hemorrhage and transfusion, careful tissue dissection, and comprehensive pain control are recommended, particularly for dogs with large, caudally located oral tumors requiring extensive excision.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29889637/