Partial resection of the plica salpingopharyngeus for the treatment of three foals with bilateral tympany of the auditory tube diverticulum (guttural pouch).

The research describes the successful treatment of three foals who suffered from tympany in the auditory tube diverticulum, using the surgical method of resecting the plica salpingopharyngeus.

About the Research

• The research aimed to treat three foals with bilateral tympany of the auditory tube diverituculum, also known as the guttural pouch. These foals had been previously treated using medical or surgical interventions but didn’t respond favorably to them.
• Bilateral guttural pouch tympany was confirmed in all the subjects through various clinical signs and testing methods including radiographic evaluations, endoscopic evaluations, and gutturocentesis (a procedure used to remove fluid or air from the guttural pouch).

Surgical Method

• All three foals underwent a surgical procedure that involved bilateral resection of the plica salpingopharyngeus, a fold of mucous membrane in the pharyngeal opening of the Eustachian tube.

Results

• Long-term interviews with the owners of the foals between 8 months to three years after the surgery showed that each foal had gained a permanent resolution of tympany with few to no post-surgical complications.

Conclusions

• The research concludes that surgical interruption of refractory bilateral guttural pouch tympany can be effectively accomplished by resecting the plica salpingophayngeus. This result has been validated with the successful permanent resolution of tympany in the foals treated in this study.
• Based on this research and its successful outcomes, resection of the plica salpingopharyngeus has been recommended for treating bilateral guttural pouch tympany.