[Lip closure with buttons--a simple method for immobilization of temporomandibular joint injuries in the cat]

Injuries to the lower jaw in cats occur frequently in the area of the temporomandibular joint. In most of these cases, successful treatment necessitates a temporary surgical occlusion of the jaw. After a brief survey of various occlusion methods, a simple technique is opted for in which labial reverse sutures of non-absorbable material are threaded through buttons. This is the preferred method of treatment employed by the University of Munich Department of Animal Surgery. During the past ten years, 107 cats were treated using this method. It was possible to check the healing process via clinical and radiological examinations in 72 of these patients. In a further 21 cases, information was obtained through questioning the owners. The collected data revealed that the method described above, which originally had been intended to temporarily occlude the jaw in polytraumatized cats, has proven to be an effective final therapy in most cases. Of the total of 93 patients with a known case history, 81 cats (87%) showed no need for rigid fixation. Over all, 94% of treated patients were free of discomfort, while 68% of the fractures and luxations radiographically reevaluated had healed anatomically.