Partial Maxillectomy and Premaxillectomy in the Treatment of Oral Neoplasia in the Dog and Cat

TLDR

Partial maxillectomies were performed on 17 dogs and 3 cats, with the extent tailored to tumor type, location, size, and invasiveness, involving removal of the tumor and adjacent maxillary or incisive bone, and closure of the resulting oronasal defect using a labial mucosal flap sutured to the hard palate mucoperiosteum. The procedure caused partial suture line dehiscence in three dogs, yet proved effective overall, with all benign cases disease‑free up to 34 months, 7 of 13 malignant cases tumor‑free up to 31 months, five malignant cases recurred within 10 months, and all three cats remained tumor‑free up to 27 months.

Abstract

Partial maxillectomies were performed in 17 dogs and three cats to accomplish wide excision of oral tumors. The extent of the maxillectomy was dependent on tumor type, location, size, and invasiveness as determined by clinical and radiographic examination and incisional biopsy. The tumor and involved portions of adjacent facial bones, most commonly the maxillary and incisive bones, were removed. The resulting oronasal defect was closed by suturing a labial mucosal flap based on the lip margin to the hard palate mucoperiosteum. The major postoperative complication was partial suture line dehiscence, which occurred in three dogs. All four dogs with benign tumors were free of disease 7 to 34 months postoperatively (median 21.5 months). Of the 13 dogs treated for malignant neoplasia, seven were tumor‐free at follow‐up times ranging from 3 to 31 months (median 12 months). Five dogs with malignant tumors developed local recurrence 1 week to 10 months postoperatively (median 4.5 months). One cat with a benign tumor and two with malignant tumors were tumor‐free at follow‐up times of 7, 24, and 27 months. Partial maxillectomy can be effective in treating both benign and malignant oral tumors in dogs and cats.