Exercising upper respiratory videoendoscopic findings of 50 competition draught horses with abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance

Abstract

Summary Background Upper respiratory tract (URT) endoscopy at rest is commonly used to evaluate competition draught horses with URT conditions. Overground endoscopy might be preferred for draught horse URT evaluation as it allows the horses to be driven with harness, overcheck and cart‐load under similar conditions to those experienced in the show ring where airway conditions are most prominent. Objective To describe the exercising URT findings of competition draught horses with abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance. Study design Case series. Methods Medical records of competition draught horses undergoing overground endoscopic evaluation between January 2013 and January 2018 with a presenting complaint of abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance were reviewed. Video recordings of resting and overground endoscopy were evaluated in all horses. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was calculated between laryngeal function at rest and at exercise. Results Fifty competition draught horses were examined. Thirteen had previously undergone URT surgery. There was significant correlation between resting and exercising laryngeal function (ρ = 0.77, P<0.01). Abnormalities were detected in 46 horses and included arytenoid cartilage collapse (n = 31), vocal fold collapse (n = 27), palatal dysfunction (n = 14), epiglottic disorders (n = 11), dynamic laryngeal collapse (n = 1), rostral deviation of the palatopharyngeal arch (n = 3) and medial deviation of the aryepiglottic folds (n = 16). The majority of horses had a complex of abnormalities (n = 31) or required exercising examination for identification (n = 41). Incidental upper oesophageal incompetence was observed in nine horses. Main limitations Retrospective collection of data. Conclusions Overground endoscopic evaluation was a useful technique for identifying URT disorders in competition draught horses. The spectrum of upper airway conditions identified in exercising draught horses supports the use of overground endoscopy as a diagnostic technique and could influence treatment considerations. The Summary is available in Portuguese – see Supporting Information

Dynamic laryngeal collapse associated with poll flexion as a complication of laryngeal tie‐forward surgery in three harness racehorses

“…Coldblooded trotters are predisposed to this condition relative to STB, seemingly due to anatomic phenotypes and their aggressive racing temperament. The condition has additionally been reported in an Icelandic horse, a showjumper, a competition draught horse, and several different gaited breeds …”

“…Coldblooded trotters are predisposed to this condition relative to STB, 3 seemingly due to anatomic phenotypes and their aggressive racing temperament. The condition has additionally been reported in an Icelandic horse, 5 a showjumper, 6 a competition draught horse, 7 and several different gaited breeds. 8 The etiology of DLC associated with poll flexion appears to be due to compression of a rostrally positioned (but otherwise normal) larynx by the hyoid apparatus within the intermandibular space in anatomically predisposed horses.…”

“…Dynamic laryngeal collapse (DLC) associated with poll flexion is a dynamic upper airway disorder in horses characterized by bilateral inward collapse of the arytenoid cartilages and vocal folds during head and neck flexion . The disorder is reported most commonly in Norwegian coldblooded trotters (NCT) but has also been documented in other breeds and disciplines . It is a serious performance‐limiting disorder in harness racehorses, with no current consistently effective treatment option .…”

“…1 The disorder is reported most commonly in Norwegian coldblooded trotters (NCT) [2][3][4] but has also been documented in other breeds and disciplines. [5][6][7][8] It is a serious performance-limiting disorder in harness racehorses, 2 with no current consistently effective treatment option. 2,8,9 The gold standard for diagnosing DLC in horses is considered high-speed treadmill videoendoscopy (HSTV) or overground videoendoscopy with the horse equipped with full racing tack and a driver to induce poll flexion.…”

Ex-vivo Mechanical Testing of Novel Laryngeal Clamps Used for Laryngeal Advancement Constructs

“…Intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (IDDSP) is a multifactorial disease occurring in 10-20% of racehorses (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7) and 28% of competing draft horses (8). Females and young horses (2-4 years old) have been reported to be more affected than male and older horses (9).…”