Laser therapy in horses involves the application of low-level laser light to targeted areas of the body to promote healing and manage pain. This non-invasive treatment is used in veterinary medicine to address various conditions, such as musculoskeletal injuries, joint pain, and wound healing. The therapy is believed to enhance cellular function and tissue repair by stimulating cellular processes. Different types of lasers, including Class III and Class IV, are utilized depending on the specific therapeutic goals. This page collects peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanisms, applications, and outcomes of laser therapy in equine medicine.
Tate LP, Sweeney CL, Bowman KF, Newman HC, Duckett WM.Transendoscopic neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser was used to treat 12 standing horses with epiglottic entrapment (EE) or dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP), or both. In four horses, transendoscopic laser staphylectomy was performed. The most common presenting complaints were respiratory stridor, cough, and exercise intolerance. Ten horses with EE healed without epiglottic complications; in one horse, partial adhesion of the aryepiglottic fold to one side of the epiglottis was corrected surgically through a laryngotomy incision. One horse with DDSP had no further sign...
Shires GM, Adair HS, Patton CS.In an attempt to ablate the laryngeal saccule as an alternative method of sacculectomy (conventially done through a laryngotomy incision for laryngeal hemiplegia) a neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser was used transendoscopically in noncontact fashion in 6 horses. The procedure was easy, quick, and labor-saving, with few complications. Endoscopically, the lased sacculectomy site appeared healed at postsurgical day 42. On postsurgical day 42, microscopic examination revealed mucosal remnants under the granulation bed. Laser energy caused thermal damage to tissues adjacent to the lased saccu...
Tulleners EP.Fifty-seven Standardbred and 44 Thoroughbred racehorses and 1 Thoroughbred polo mare with primary clinical signs of exercise intolerance or respiratory tract noise or combined exercise intolerance and respiratory tract noise were referred for laser correction of epiglottic entrapment. Significantly (P less than 0.001) more Standardbred than Thoroughbred racehorses were affected, compared with the observed hospital population during the same period. At referral, 14 horses did not have evident epiglottic entrapment and were returned to exercise without development of entrapment after treatment, ...
English RV, Nasisse MP, Davidson MG.Limbal squamous cell carcinoma in 4 horses was treated successfully, using carbon dioxide laser ablation. Tumors were removed, with minimal to no postoperative inflammation or discomfort to the horses. Carbon dioxide laser ablation represents a promising new option in the treatment of limbal squamous cell carcinoma in horses.
Palmer SE.A verrucous sarcoid was removed from the ear of a horse, using a carbon dioxide laser. The use of carbon dioxide laser excision and ablation enabled complete removal of tumor cells, with minimal damage to underlying normal cartilage. Cosmetic healing was observed with minimal disfigurement. Recurrence of the tumor was not observed after 11 months.
Tate LP, Sweeney CL, Cullen JM, Corbett WT, Newman HC, Brown TC, Ketner MT.A neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser was used to study effects of applying laser irradiation transendoscopically to the corniculate process of the arytenoid cartilage in horses. Dosimetry was established initially in vitro in 10 corniculate cartilages that were irradiated and examined histologically to determine penetration depths at selected power settings. Eleven horses were given xylazine IV and butorphoral tartrate IV, and their left ventricle and corniculate process were irradiated. Six horses had left laryngeal hemiplegia and were euthanatized and necropsied 14 weeks after ...
Tate LP, Newman HC, Cullen JM, Sweeney C.Laryngeal surgery in the equine is customarily and routinely performed by means of a ventral laryngotomy incision. Such procedures are usually performed under deep general anesthesia with the horse in dorsal recumbency. The objective of this work was to determine the efficacy of an endoscopic approach coupled to a Nd:YAG laser fiber in performing arytenoidectomy. Arytenoidectomy is commonly indicated in the treatment of arytenoid chondritis and in the failure of prosthetic implantation for left laryngeal hemiplegia. This preliminary study was undertaken to determine the feasibility of the endo...
Montgomery TC, McNaughton SD.A histological study of plantar digital nerve sections cut with a carbon dioxide laser in horses was conducted. A series of nerve cuts were made with variable power densities to determine the appropriate theoretical level which would yield the most desired tissue effects. Power densities in the lower ranges used appeared to provide tissue effects judged most likely to prevent neuroma formation through increased thermal sealing of the proximal stump at the axon level. Clinical observation and follow-up of horses subjected to laser neurectomy tend to support the reported concept that the laser i...
Kaneps AJ, Hultgren BD, Riebold TW, Shires GM.Surgical incisions were made in the skin and superficial digital flexor tendons in horses. A low intensity laser therapy device was used to treat the limbs. After laser therapy was completed, skin and superficial digital flexor tendons from incised laser-irradiated, incised-control, and nonincised-control limbs were compared microscopically. Qualitative differences between laser irradiated and nonirradiated tissues were not found. The laser therapy device used in this study may be of insufficient power to affect wound healing.
McKibbin LS, Paraschak D.The final and last-quarter race times and racing classes for a group of Standardbreds were analyzed before and after infrared laser light treatment. These horses had either check ligament injuries, plantar desmitis or pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia. A 904-nm infrared laser was used to treat check ligaments at 146 Hz for 26 sec/cm2 of affected area, acute plantar desmitis at 73 Hz and chronic plantar desmitis at 292 Hz for 26 sec/cm2 of affected area, and pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia at 146 Hz for 5 minutes. Of 35 horses treated for check ligament injuries, 80% had similar or faster final r...
Nakao T, Ohno-Fujitani T, Nakao M.Approximate molecular weights and the subunit structures of Na,K-ATPase from horse kidney were estimated by means of the combination of porous silica gel chromatography, laser light scattering (LS) and refractive index (RI) measurements in C12E8. When the enzymes were eluted with NaCl- or KCl-containing solution, 3 or 4 protein peaks, respectively were detected except that of low molecular weight range. These peaks were tentatively named Na-1, Na-2, Na-2', Na-3 (NaCl-containing eluents), K-1, K-2, K-3 (KCl-containing eluents), respectively. Na,K-ATPase and K-p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities...
Hawkins JF, Andrews-Jones L.To develop a technique for neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser ventriculocordectomy in standing horses and document healing in horses undergoing laser ventriculocordectomy. Methods: 6 horses between 2 and 32 years old. Methods: Under endoscopic guidance, the left laryngeal ventricle was everted with grasping forceps and excised with an Nd:YAG laser, using 60 watts of power in a noncontact fashion (6,403 to 9,197 Joules). Following removal of the ventricle, the vocal cord was photoablated. Horses were examined endoscopically 2, 7, 14, 21, 30, and 47 days after ventriculocordectomy,...
Nakao T, Ohno-Fujitani T, Nakao M.Approximate molecular weights and the subunit structures of Na,K-ATPase from horse kidney were estimated by means of the combination of porous silica gel chromatography, laser light scattering (LS) and refractive index (RI) measurements in C12E8. When the enzymes were eluted with NaCl- or KCl-containing solution, 3 or 4 protein peaks, respectively were detected except that of low molecular weight range. These peaks were tentatively named Na-1, Na-2, Na-2', Na-3 (NaCl-containing eluents), K-1, K-2, K-3 (KCl-containing eluents), respectively. Na,K-ATPase and K-p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities...
Weigand K, Gerhards H, Köstlin R.The transmission of the laser beam trough flexible fibers enables an endoscopic application. Since this technique is minimal invasive and often does not require general anaesthesia there is an increasing interest in the use of laser techniques-for example in equine upper respiratory tract surgery. This paper gives a review about reported laser application in the different fields of veterinary surgery with emphasis on laser practice in dermatology, ophthalmology and endoscopic laser application.
Roth JE, Nixon AJ, Gantz VA, Meyer D, Mohammed H.A carbon dioxide laser, used in a rapidly pulsed mode, was evaluated for intra-articular use in horses. Under arthroscopic guidance, a lensed 5 mm laser probe attached directly to a hand-held carbon dioxide laser was inserted into one intercarpal joint of eight horses. In four horses, a cartilage crater 1 cm in diameter was created to the level of the subchondral bone of the articular surface of the third carpal bone. In four horses, the laser was directed perpendicular to the articular surface of the third carpal bone and activated to penetrate the cartilage and subchondral bone. The intercar...
Palmer SE.The use of carbon dioxide and Nd:YAG lasers has expanded the capabilities of equine surgeons. These lasers are used to incise, vaporize, and coagulate tissue with minimal hemorrhage and reduced morbidity to the patient. In this article, practical fundamentals of laser surgery are briefly reviewed, and selected standing laser procedures of the head and neck are discussed.
Murphy DJ, Nixon AJ.A new surgical technique for treatment of chronic metacarpophalangeal synovial pad proliferation in the horse and the findings and long-term follow-up from 11 clinical cases are described. The medical records of all equine lameness cases attributed to metacarpophalangeal synovial pad proliferation admitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University (1991-1996) were reviewed and all those treated surgically by laser extirpation were included in this study. Retrieved data included subject details, preoperative lameness, ultrasonography, radiography and synovial fluid evaluations...
Reschke C.The case report describes the surgical and photodynamic treatment (PDT) of an equine sarcoid in a 6-year-old gelding. A mass on the ventral prepuce, several tumours on the lateral aspect of the prepuce and one sarcoid on the front aspect of the chest were treated. For PDT, Temoporfin (Fospeg® Biolitec AG, Jena) at a concentration of 0.15mg/ml was injected locally. The subsequent irradiation was performed using a red-light laser (652nm) with an energy density of 10J/cm². The mass on the ventral aspect of the prepuce and some of the lateral tumours displayed total remission. The remaining tumo...
Tate LP, Newman HC, Cullen JM, Sweeney C.Laryngeal surgery in the equine is customarily and routinely performed by means of a ventral laryngotomy incision. Such procedures are usually performed under deep general anesthesia with the horse in dorsal recumbency. The objective of this work was to determine the efficacy of an endoscopic approach coupled to a Nd:YAG laser fiber in performing arytenoidectomy. Arytenoidectomy is commonly indicated in the treatment of arytenoid chondritis and in the failure of prosthetic implantation for left laryngeal hemiplegia. This preliminary study was undertaken to determine the feasibility of the endo...
Scherzer J, Davis C, Hurley DJ.The major difficulty in providing the benefits of embryo cryopreservation for equine agriculture is the mismatch between the optimal embryo age for collection from the mare (7-8 days after ovulation was detected) and the optimal age for freezing under current methods (6.5 days after ovulation). To overcome this limitation, we tested a method to enhance penetration of cryopreservative across the capsule and trophoblast of day 7 and 8 embryos combined with rapid freezing by vitrification. Six small embryos (<300 μm in diameter) were collected on day 6-7 after ovulation and twelve larger embryos...
Charlton C, Tulleners E.Two male racehorses (1 Standardbred, 1 Thoroughbred) were examined because of intraluminal cervical tracheal lesions, located 60 to 70 cm from the nares. A contact neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser with a chisel probe attached to the fiber end was used to transendoscopically debride a nonhealing tracheal ulcer and to excise a pyogranulomatous mass. In both horses, the surgical sites healed quickly and the lesions did not redevelop.
Jeong S, Bond S, Bayly W, Sole-Guitart A.To quantify the impact of experimentally induced dorsal nasopharyngeal collapse (NPC) on respiratory performance parameters and assess the efficacy of laser fenestration of the dorsal pharyngeal recess as a treatment option for experimentally induced NPC. Methods: Experimental interventional study. Methods: Six adult Standardbreds (one with naturally occurring disease). Methods: After an 8 week conditioning program, baseline parameters (V̇Omax, pharyngeal pressure, peak airflows, upper airway resistance) and dynamic endoscopy videos were collected in a high-speed treadmill test (T1). Dorsal N...
du Preez S, Lynch B, Lindsay S, Simon O, Ferlini Agne G.To describe the case details of an equine corneal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising from the central scar of a previous conjunctival pedicle graft. Methods: An 18-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, showing a progressive increase in diameter, depth, opacity, and pigmentation of a conjunctival pedicle graft scar of the left eye, 34 months after surgery. Methods: Complete ophthalmic examination, standard histologic and immunohistochemical evaluation of an incisional biopsy to formulate a definitive diagnosis. Carbon dioxide (CO) laser photoablation combined with topical mitomycin C treatment. R...
