Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treatment of jaw and TMJ fractures in dogs and cats with a nylon loop
By Nicholson, I et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative orthopaedics and traumatology : V.C.O.T·2010·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Treatment of caudal mandibular fracture and temporomandibular joint fracture-luxation using a bi-gnathic encircling and retaining device.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs and cats with jaw fractures were treated using a special device called a bi-gnathic encircling and retaining device (BEARD). This device helped stabilize their injuries, allowing for normal jaw function and dental alignment in most cases. While there were some complications, including skin swelling and issues with feeding tubes, the overall outcome was positive for the majority of pets. Most of the animals showed good healing and were able to eat normally after treatment.
People also search for: dog jaw fracture treatment · cat TMJ injury recovery · BEARD device for pets · jaw function after cat fracture · pet dental occlusion issues
Abstract
Fractures of the caudal portion of the mandible and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) fracture-luxation can be challenging to treat with direct fixation methods. This paper describes a simple technique for the indirect treatment of caudal mandibular fracture and TMJ fracture-luxation using a subcutaneous loop of nylon leader line tunnelled around the maxilla, incisive and nasal bones, and under the mandible, placed just caudal to the canine teeth, and crimped ventral to the mandibular skin: a bignathic encircling and retaining device (BEARD). A BEARD was used to treat two immature dogs with simple, unilateral caudal mandibular fractures, six cats with unilateral injury (two with TMJ luxation, three with TMJ fracture-luxation, one with caudal mandibular fracture), and two cats with bilateral injury (comminuted caudal mandibular fracture with contralateral TMJ luxation; bilateral condylar neck fracture). The BEARD treatment failed short-term due to poor tolerance in one cat, and concurrent injuries and poor initial reduction in another cat. One cat was lost to long-term follow-up. Rostral dental occlusion was normal in six out of seven cases, and reported jaw function was normal in seven out of seven cases. The case with poor occlusion had imperfect initial reduction. Complications included dorsal nasal skin swelling or discharge, oesophagostomy tube dislodgement or blockage, BEARD loosening, and regurgitation. Treatment of uni- or bilateral caudal mandibular trauma using a BEARD can lead to clinical union, and normal rostral occlusion, provided that case selection is appropriate and immediate-post-surgical occlusion has been corrected.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20151077/