Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with jaw trouble after injury - what to know about ankylosis
By Meomartino, L et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·1999·Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Veterinarie, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Temporomandibular ankylosis in the cat: a review of seven cases.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of seven cats with jaw problems were found to have ankylosis, which is a condition where the jaw joint becomes stiff or fused, often due to previous trauma. The cats were treated with surgery to improve their jaw movement, and most of them had good results, with only one cat showing some limited mobility after surgery. However, the two cats that received non-surgical treatment had their jaw problems return within a few months. Overall, surgery was the most effective option for helping these cats regain normal jaw function.
People also search for: cat jaw problems · cat surgery for jaw stiffness · why is my cat's jaw not moving · cat temporomandibular joint treatment
Abstract
Ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in the cat is an unusual complication of traumatic lesions involving articular (true ankylosis) or periarticular structures (false ankylosis). Seven cats with true ankylosis of the TMJ (four cases unilateral and three cases bilateral), of which previous trauma had been documented in five cases, were referred to the authors' clinic between September 1991 and October 1996. Radiographic assessment was performed in all cases, using dorsoventral and oblique projections. Five subjects underwent arthroplastic excision of the TMJ and, in the remaining two cases, stretching of the jaws was performed under general anaesthesia. The surgical outcome was satisfactory in all but one case, where partially decreased joint mobility was observed (follow-up time one to five years), but in the two cases where non-surgical treatment was carried out, recurrence of TMJ ankylosis was observed (follow-up time two to five months). In the authors' experience, surgery represents the treatment of choice for TMJ ankylosis in cats. Additional mandibular symphysiotomy can confirm the radiological findings in unilateral cases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10092035/