Measurement of upper airway pressures in exercising horses with dorsal displacement of the soft palate.
Abstract: To determine whether abnormal airway pressures have a role in development of dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP), measurements of tracheal and pharyngeal pressures were correlated with nasopharyngeal morphology in exercising horses. Exercising videoendoscopy and measurement of tracheal and pharyngeal pressures were used in 14 clinically normal horses and 19 horses with intermittent DDSP. The pressure signals were superimposed on the videoendoscope image, and both images were saved simultaneously on a videocassette for slow motion analysis to determine the instant displacement occurred in the respiratory cycle. Horses were submitted to an escalating 8-minute high-speed test with a maximal speed of 14 m/s. Compared with clinically normal horses, horses with intermittent DDSP did not have excessively negative inspiratory pressures during exercise. Eight horses displaced the soft palate during inspiration, 4 horses displaced it during expiration, and 7 displaced it by swallowing. Some horses displaced the soft palate at the beginning of the exercise trial, before reaching maximal speed, some horses displaced it at the peak speed, and some horses displaced it when slowing down. Epiglottic size in horses with DDSP was within normal limits, ruling out epiglottic hypoplasia as a cause of DDSP during exercise. Airway pressures were significantly (P < 0.002) altered after DDSP. Pharyngeal and tracheal inspiratory pressures were less negative, whereas pharyngeal expiratory pressure became less positive and tracheal expiratory pressure became more positive after displacement, suggesting a decrease in airflow and an increase in expiratory resistance in the upper airway.
Publication Date: 1995-03-01 PubMed ID: 7771690
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research paper investigates if abnormal airway pressures contribute to the development of Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate (DDSP) in exercising horses. Using videoendoscopy and pressure measurements, the researchers assessed the correlation between nasopharyngeal morphology and tracheal and pharyngeal pressures in horses.
Research Method
- The study involved 14 healthy horses and 19 horses with intermittent DDSP.
- Using videoendoscopy and pressure measurements in their trachea and pharynx, the researchers measured the horses while they were exercising.
- The pressure signals were overlaid on the videoendoscopy footage. Both sets of data were recorded for later slow-motion analysis, which would allow identifying the exact occurrence of displacement in the respiratory cycle.
- The horses participated in an 8-minute high-speed trial, which peaked at 14 meters per second.
Findings
- Horses with DDSP did not exhibit excessively negative inspiratory pressures during exercise, as compared to healthy horses.
- Among the horses with DDSP, 8 displaced their soft palate during inspiration, 4 during expiration, and 7 by swallowing.
- The moment of palate displacement varied among horses – some displaced at the start of exercise, some at peak speed, and some when slowing down.
- The size of the epiglottis in horses with DDSP was normal, suggesting that epiglottic hypoplasia was not a cause of DDSP during exercise.
- After palate displacement, there was a significant alteration in airway pressures. Inspiratory pressures in pharyngeal and tracheal became less negative, while the pharyngeal expiratory pressure became less positive and the tracheal more positive, indicating a decrease in airflow and an increase in expiratory resistance in the upper airway.
This study shows that DDSP in exercising horses does not seem to be caused by excessively negative inspiratory pressures, and once displacement occurs, it leads to significant changes in airway pressures.
Cite This Article
APA
Rehder RS, Ducharme NG, Hackett RP, Nielan GJ.
(1995).
Measurement of upper airway pressures in exercising horses with dorsal displacement of the soft palate.
Am J Vet Res, 56(3), 269-274.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Airway Obstruction / pathology
- Airway Obstruction / physiopathology
- Airway Obstruction / veterinary
- Airway Resistance / physiology
- Animals
- Endoscopy / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Palate, Soft / pathology
- Palate, Soft / physiopathology
- Physical Exertion / physiology
- Statistics as Topic
- Videotape Recording
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Scholler D, Wittenberg J, Zablotski Y, May A. Do tight nosebands have an effect on the upper airways of horses?. Vet Med Sci 2024 Jul;10(4):e1478.
- Lo Feudo CM, Stancari G, Collavo F, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Upper and Lower Airways Evaluation and Its Relationship with Dynamic Upper Airway Obstruction in Racehorses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Jun 17;12(12).
- Fretheim-Kelly Z, Engan M, Clemm H, Andersen T, Heimdal JH, Strand E, Halvorsen T, Røksund O, Vollsæter M. Reliability of translaryngeal airway resistance measurements during maximal exercise. ERJ Open Res 2022 Jan;8(1).
- Fretheim-Kelly ZL, Halvorsen T, Clemm H, Roksund O, Heimdal JH, Vollsæter M, Fintl C, Strand E. Exercise Induced Laryngeal Obstruction in Humans and Equines. A Comparative Review. Front Physiol 2019;10:1333.
- Cercone M, Olsen E, Perkins JD, Cheetham J, Mitchell LM, Ducharme NG. Investigation into pathophysiology of naturally occurring palatal instability and intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) in racehorses: Thyro-hyoid muscles fatigue during exercise. PLoS One 2019;14(10):e0224524.
- Fretheim-Kelly Z, Halvorsen T, Heimdal JH, Strand E, Vollsaeter M, Clemm H, Roksund O. Feasibility and tolerability of measuring translaryngeal pressure during exercise. Laryngoscope 2019 Dec;129(12):2748-2753.
- Jean D, Picandet V, Céleste C, Macieira S, Cesarini C, Morisset S, Rossier Y, Marcoux M. Palatal sclerotherapy for the treatment of intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate in 51 standardbred racehorses. Can Vet J 2011 Nov;52(11):1203-8.
- Marcoux M, Picandet V, Céleste C, Macieira S, Morisset S, Rossier Y, Schambourg M, Jean D. Palatal sclerotherapy: a potentially useful treatment of intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate in juvenile standardbred racehorses. Can Vet J 2008 Jun;49(6):587-91.
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