Feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) is a debilitating inflammatory condition characterized by severe caudal oral mucosal inflammation and frequently necessitates extensive dental extractions. Full-mouth extraction (FME) or partial-mouth extraction (PME) is considered standard therapy; however, reported clinical remission rates vary widely, ranging from 51.8% to 67.3%, and many affected cats require long-term immunomodulatory treatment. Although inflammation is typically bilateral, a subset of cats exhibits lesions confined to one side of the oral cavity, raising questions regarding whether FME is invariably required. To date, no clinical studies have evaluated unilateral PME as a therapeutic option for cats with unilateral caudal FCGS. This study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of unilateral PME in cats presenting with unilateral caudal FCGS. Medical records of three client-owned cats diagnosed with FCGS were retrospectively reviewed. All cats exhibited ulcerative or proliferative lesions limited to one side of the caudal oral mucosa. All cats underwent unilateral PME of the affected side. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1), and Mycoplasma species was performed using lesional tissue samples. All cats received postoperative antimicrobial and analgesic therapy, and follow-up evaluations were conducted over a period of 6 to 12 months. All three cats tested positive for FCV, whereas FHV-1 and mycoplasma species testing was negative in all cases. Complete clinical remission was achieved in all cats within 1 to 3 months postoperatively, and none required long-term immunomodulatory treatment. No recurrence of disease or development of refractory FCGS was noted during the follow-up period. Clinical outcomes improved appreciably in cats treated with unilateral PME. In carefully selected cats with unilateral caudal FCGS, unilateral PME may provide favorable clinical outcomes as a less invasive surgical alternative. These preliminary findings suggest that the extent of dental extraction may be tailored to the distribution of inflammatory lesions. Larger prospective studies are needed to validate these observations and to establish evidence-based criteria for selecting candidates suitable for unilateral PME.
Choe et al. (Fri,) studied this question.