Standing Surgical Removal of Inspissated Guttural Pouch Exudate (Chondroids) in Ten Horses

Abstract

To eliminate risks associated with general anesthesia and avoid surgical suite contamination, removal of chondroids can be performed in standing sedated horses through a modified Whitehouse approach.

Endoscopic assisted electro-cauterization to treat an acquired pharyngeal ostium stenosis in a horse: a case report

“…The endoscopic approach to guttural pouches is easy to perform but it may be obstructed when stenotic or fibrotic processes have occurred in the pharyngeal orifice. Stenosis of the pharyngeal orifice has been described in a few papers (Gehlen and Ohnesorge, 2005;Perkins et al, 2006). It is not a common disease but may complicate the treatment of empyema and it must be resolved in order for there to be complete recovery from pathological conditions.…”

“…However, these surgical techniques could result in complications, such as iatrogenic lesions of cranial nerves and subsequent neurological dysfunction, including dysphagia and/or cranial neuropathies (Perkins et al, 2006;Fogle et al, 2007).…”

“…However, when conservative treatment does not result in desirable outcomes, it is necessary to carry out surgical treatment, which can be performed in different ways: via a hyovertebrotomy (Schaaf et al, 2006), with the Whitehouse technique and modified Whitehouse technique (Gehlen and Ohnesorge, 2005;Perkins et al, 2006), with fistulation through the Viborg's triangle, and with the fenestration of the mesial guttural pouch septum (Perkins et al, 2006). However, these surgical techniques could result in complications, such as iatrogenic lesions of cranial nerves and subsequent neurological dysfunction, including dysphagia and/or cranial neuropathies (Perkins et al, 2006;Fogle et al, 2007).…”

“…The incidence of guttural pouch diseases in the horse, such as empyema, tympany and mycosis, is rather low (Carmalt, 2002;Schaaf et al, 2006), and reports in the literature are constituted by several articles with a small number of cases (Freeman, 2006;Perkins et al, 2006;Schambourg et al, 2006) rather than retrospective studies with large numbers of cases (Judy et al, 1999). Inflammatory processes of the guttural pouch can result in empyema, which is sometimes complicated by chondroids and exudate conglomerates.…”

“…Inflammatory processes of the guttural pouch can result in empyema, which is sometimes complicated by chondroids and exudate conglomerates. Moreover, chronic guttural pouch empyema may occasionally involve stenosis or complete closure of the pharyngeal ostium (Gehlen and Ohnesorge, 2005;Perkins et al, 2006).…”