NIR Laser Therapy in the Management of Feline Stomatitis

P. Squarzoni, D. Bani, F. Cialdai, M. Monici
SM Dermatology Journal, 3(3): 1021, 2017

Stomatitis with involvement of the caudal area is a severe inflammation of the oral tissues in cats, which heavily impairs the animal health. The affected gingiva and mucous membrane show different degrees of inflammation, proliferation and ulceration. The only way to manage this serious disease is suppression of inflammation, but often reduction of inflammation at tolerable levels is considered a satisfactory therapeutic result. Many different treatments have been proposed, but currently a therapy of choice and a standardized treatment for stomatitis management have not yet identified. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies are needed to effectively counteract inflammation and improve symptoms.
Laser therapy has been applied with significant results in the management of human patients affected by Oral Mucositis (OM), where it has been effective in reducing inflammation, pain, severity and duration of OM ulcers. The present paper reports the results of a preliminary proof-of-concept clinical study aimed at verifying the hypothesis that NIR laser therapy could be usefully applied to treat cat mucositis.
The enrolled patients were divided into two groups, in order to compare two treatments differing for the energy density released. The effectiveness of laser therapy in reducing inflammation and favoring ulcer healing was assessed by clinical examination of patients, histological analysis and Immunofluorescence microscopy on tissue specimens collected from the animals before and after the cycle of laser therapy.