Partial Arytenoidectomy in a Horse

Abstract

A 3-year-old Thoroughbred gelding presented with left laryngeal hemiplegia with a history of laryngoplasty (tie-back surgery) failure. Postoperative endoscopy revealed no abduction or no inflammatory changes in the left arytenoid cartilage. The owner opted for the horse to undergo partial arytenoidectomy due to failed laryngoplasty. A tracheostomy tube was intubated through a mid-cervical tracheotomy to secure the airway under general anesthesia, and; laryngotomy was performed to access the arytenoid cartilage in dorsal recumbency. A partial arytenoidectomy was performed with endoscopic assistance through the left nostril, and the left arytenoid cartilage was removed, excluding the muscular process. Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory agents were administered postoperatively, and the incision site was cleaned using normal saline and antibiotic ointment twice daily. On the 12th postoperative day, endoscopy revealed redundant corniculate process mucosa at the surgical site, which was removed using rongeur forceps directly through the previous laryngotomy incision. The horse showed no significant complications during the hospitalization. Two months after surgery, the surgical site reportedly recovered with no evidence of granulation tissue. The horse returned to training and racing 3 and 7 months postoperatively, respectively. This is the first case report of a partial arytenoidectomy in a horse in South Korea. In this case, the horse returned to training after partial arytenoidectomy without significant complications, indicating that partial arytenoidectomy could be beneficial for failed laryngoplasty.