Evaluation of the upper respiratory tract in the horse during treadmill exercise - A review – Part l: Endoscopy

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of palatal dysfunction on measures of ventilation and gas exchange in Thoroughbred racehorses during high intensity exercise

Allen

Franklin

2012

“…It is important to note that whilst videoendoscopy enables visualisation of any dynamic airway collapse, it does not enable quantification of the functional effects of an obstruction. It has therefore been suggested that to assess any respiratory limitation definitively, it is necessary to measure upper airway mechanics . However, this is not commonly performed in clinical practice.…”

Section: Upper Airway Disorders and Their Effects On Respiratory Funcmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory diseases and their effects on respiratory function and exercise capacity

Erck-Westergren¹,

Franklin

Bayly

2013

Given that aerobic metabolism is the predominant energy pathway for most sports, the respiratory system can be a rate-limiting factor in the exercise capacity of fit and healthy horses. Consequently, respiratory diseases, even in mild forms, are potentially deleterious to any athletic performance. The functional impairment associated with a respiratory condition depends on the degree of severity of the disease and the equestrian discipline involved. Respiratory abnormalities generally result in an increase in respiratory impedance and work of breathing and a reduced level of ventilation that can be detected objectively by deterioration in breathing mechanics and arterial blood gas tensions and/or lactataemia. The overall prevalence of airway diseases is comparatively high in equine athletes and may affect the upper airways, lower airways or both. Diseases of the airways have been associated with a wide variety of anatomical and/or inflammatory conditions. In some instances, the diagnosis is challenging because conditions can be subclinical in horses at rest and become clinically relevant only during exercise. In such cases, an exercise test may be warranted in the evaluation of the patient. The design of the exercise test is critical to inducing the clinical signs of the problem and establishing an accurate diagnosis. Additional diagnostic techniques, such as airway sampling, can be valuable in the diagnosis of subclinical lower airway problems that have the capacity to impair performance. As all these techniques become more widely used in practice, they should inevitably enhance veterinarians' diagnostic capabilities and improve their assessment of treatment effectiveness and the long-term management of equine athletes.

“…Unfortunately, treadmill endoscopy is not usually accompanied by measurements of the functional limitations to air flow; and decisions about the need for surgery and evaluation of the responses to treatment are not based on an objective measure of the degree of the limit to pulmonary ventilation. It has been argued that a definitive assessment of the presence of a respiratory limitation can be made only by the quantitative determination of upper airway flow mechanics (airway pressure and flow-volume measurement; Kastner et al 1998).…”

Section: Endoscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiology of equine performance and associated tests of function

Evans

2007

This review addresses the physiology of performance horses in the context of functional tests aimed at assisting clinicians in the search for explanations of the individual's limitations, actual or perceived as below expectation. The intention is to assist clinicians who are faced frequently by owners or trainers seeking explanations for poor performance; and for research workers as a basis on which to proceed in their search for new methodologies, particularly those that can be applied in the field as for treadmill exercise. The review sets out fundamental physiological pathways, the entailment of which may represent a limiting factor to performance, while taking into account the individual's status, including anamnesis and the possibility of actual disease being present. Tests that assess the possible roles of several body systems, as causes of limited performance, are discussed. These systems include pulmonary, cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems. The evaluation of anaerobic and aerobic energy pathways is also discussed. Emphasis is given to the assessment of pulmonary ventilation by techniques such as spirometry and ergospirometry. These techniques are considered to be of particular potential for further development.