In vitro effect of ventriculocordectomy before laryngoplasty on abduction of the equine arytenoid cartilage.

This research explores whether performing a ventriculocordectomy before a prosthetic laryngoplasty on equine larynges can result in a more extensive opening of the vocal cord gap (rima glottidis). The study concluded that prior ventriculocordectomy significantly increases the abduction of the arytenoid cartilage for a given laryngoplasty suture force.

Research Methods and Process

• The study used thirteen equine cadaver larynges to test the procedure known as ventriculocordectomy (VCE), which involves removing portions of the vocal cords and ventricle, prior to prosthetic laryngoplasty (PL), a surgical method for addressing airway obstruction.
• The right arytenoid cartilages of the specimens were abducted using a standard PL technique.
• The left arytenoid cartilages were treated with a combination of the two methods (VCE-PL), and the force required for maximum abduction was recorded.
• The researchers took photographs of the rima glottidis, the opening between the vocal cords, at different levels of force up to the maximum required force. This process was repeated after the VCE had been performed.
• A series of measurements (arytenoid left:right angle quotients (LRQ) and glottic cross-sectional area ratios (CSAR)) were computed at each force level for each condition (PL and VCE-PL).

Research Findings

• Both LRQ and CSAR increased with increasing force, rapidly at first before reaching a plateau at around 50% of the maximum force.
• The measurements for both LRQ and CSAR were significantly higher for the combined VCE-PL procedure than for the standalone PL procedure (P<.001).
• When VCE was performed before PL, 12% less force was required to achieve an LRQ of 0.8, and 45% less for a CSAR of 0.8. This indicates a significant increase in efficiency of the combined procedure compared to the standalone one.

Conclusion

• The results suggest that performing a ventriculocordectomy before a prosthetic laryngoplasty allows for a greater degree of arytenoid cartilage abduction for a given suture force.
• This could lead to improved procedures for addressing airway obstruction in horses, potentially improving their respiratory health and athletic performance.