Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical repair and recovery of palate injuries in cats
By Castejón-González, Ana C et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2022·Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Surgical Treatment and Outcome of Acquired Midline Palate Defects in Cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 25 cats with injuries to the roof of their mouths, often from falls or being hit by cars, underwent surgery to repair these defects. Most of the cats were young, under 4 years old, and all surgeries were performed within 5 days of the injury. The surgical techniques used were effective, with no complications like oronasal fistulas (abnormal connections between the mouth and nose) reported during follow-up. While some cats experienced malocclusion (misalignment of teeth), the overall outcome was very positive, showing that prompt surgical treatment leads to successful recovery.
People also search for: cat mouth injury treatment · cat palate defect surgery · why is my cat drooling after injury
Abstract
Acquired midline palate defects (PDE) affect the hard palate and/or soft palate, and result from trauma, commonly falling from a height or being hit by a motor vehicle. Additional life-threating injuries and costs associated with the treatment may delay the surgical treatment. This retrospective study describes signalment, cause, and extent of the PDE, and treatment in 25 cats. In addition, the outcome of the surgical repair is described in 19 (76%) cats. All defects were repaired within 5 days of the injury. Twenty (80%) cats were 4 years of age or younger. The most common rostral extent of the PDE was to the level of the third premolar tooth (= 8; 32%), incisor teeth (= 7; 28%), and fourth premolar tooth (= 5; 20%). The soft palate laceration was present in all cases. Surgical therapy was successful in all cases with follow-up. The most common techniques used for the closure of the hard palate defect were bilateral pedicle flaps with lateral releasing incisions (= 8; 32%), direct apposition of the oral mucosa (= 7; 28%), bilateral pedicle flaps with lateral releasing incisions and interquadrant splinting (= 5; 20%), and unilateral pedicle flap with one lateral releasing incision (= 4; 16%). A tension-free closure by direct apposition of the edges was possible for the soft palate laceration. No oronasal fistulae were identified at follow-up. The only complication was malocclusion. The interquadrant splinting was most often used for PDE extending to the rostral portion of the hard palate (< 0.05). The cats that suffered postoperative malocclusion were significantly more likely to have sustained temporomandibular joint injury, underwent CT scan, or had a feeding tube placed before discharge. The results of this retrospective study indicate that the early treatment (within 5 days) of the acquired longitudinal defects in the midline of the hard and soft palates is highly successful.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35859806/