Equine laryngeal hemiplegia. Part III. Treatment by laryngoplasty.

The research article discusses a study conducted on 127 horses with left laryngeal hemiplegia from 1971 to 1979, out of which 81 were treated using the laryngoplasty procedure. The paper evaluates the complications experienced during surgery, the impact of the operation on respiratory noise and performance, the post-operative racing success, as well as issues related to surgical failures. In a significant number of the cases, the research found that the operation reduced chronic respiratory noise and fairly improved the performance after surgery.

Study Methodology and Participants

• The research was carried out over a span of eight years, between 1971 and 1979.
• A total of 127 horses with a diagnosed condition of left laryngeal hemiplegia were involved in the study.
• Out of these, 81 were treated by a surgical procedure known as laryngoplasty.

Treatment and Evaluation

• The research assessed and recorded the complications of the surgery.
• The effects of the operation on the elimination or reduction of the respiratory noise during exercise were also evaluated.
• About 44% of the total horses treated showed an apparent improvement in their performance after the surgery.
• The article also looked into the post-operative racing success, which was observed in 38% of the horses who underwent the treatment.

Surgical Outcomes

• A satisfactory arytenoid adduction (movement of the arytenoid cartilages towards the midline), as evaluated endoscopically, was noticed within nine days from the surgery in around 77% of the cases.
• The research also noted that surgical failures were seemingly related to the cutting of the laryngeal cartilages by the prosthesis, and techniques to minimise this were taken into consideration.