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Veterinary surgery : VS2019; 49(1); 114-123; doi: 10.1111/vsu.13321

Racing performance of National Hunt thoroughbred racehorses after treatment of palatal dysfunction with a laryngeal tie-forward procedure and thermocautery of the soft palate with or without aryepiglottic folds resection.

Abstract: To assess racing performance of National Hunt thoroughbred (NH) racehorses with a definite diagnosis of palatal dysfunction treated with a laryngeal tie-forward procedure (LTF) and soft palate cautery (SPC) with or without transendoscopic laser excision of the aryepiglottic folds (TLEAF) and to determine correlation between performance measures. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: National Hunt racehorses treated with LTF, SPC ± TLEAF (n = 44) and nonaffected controls (n = 88). Methods: Performance was evaluated by using Racing Post ratings (RPR), race earnings (RE), and performance index (PIndex). Affected horses were compared with nonaffected horses. The effect of TLEAF and correlations between measures were analyzed. Results: Racing Post rating, RE and PIndex improved by 50%, 26%, and 12% in treated, and by 50%, 39%, and 24% in control horses, respectively, when measurements were evaluated for the median of three presurgical and postsurgical races. Lower postsurgical performance was detected when five postsurgical races were compared with two presurgical races (P ≤ .03). The number of postsurgical earnings rated at zero was greater in treated horses than in control horses (P < .05). Race earnings and RPR correlated more strongly (r = 0.634-0.796) than PIndex and other measures (r = 0.378-0.692). Conclusions: Postsurgical performance of NH racehorses with palatal dysfunction after LTF and SPC ± TLEAF was decreased compared with unaffected controls. The negative effect of TLEAF on performance was detected. Conclusions: Although LTF is widely performed in NH racehorses, it may not be the most efficient treatment for palatal dysfunction.
© 2019 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
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Publication Date: 2019-09-10 PubMed ID: 31506975DOI: 10.1111/vsu.13321Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

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The study assessed the racing performance of National Hunt (NH) racehorses with palatal dysfunction, treated with a laryngeal tie-forward procedure and soft palate cautery and found that their performance decreased post-surgery compared to unaffected horses. The study suggests that the laryngeal tie-forward procedure may not be the most effective treatment for palatal dysfunction in NH racehorses.

Study Design

  • This was a retrospective cohort study involving NH racehorses with diagnosed palatal dysfunction.
  • A group of 44 horses was treated using a laryngeal tie-forward procedure (LTF) and soft palate cautery (SPC), some also had transendoscopic laser excision of the aryepiglottic folds (TLEAF).
  • For comparison, a control group of 88 non-affected horses was included in the study.

Performance Evaluation

  • Race performance was assessed using several measures: Racing Post ratings (RPR), race earnings (RE), and a performance index (PIndex).
  • These measures were compared before and after treatment in both the affected horses and control group. The metrics were analyzed for correlations too.

Results

  • The study found that Racing Post rating, race earnings, and the performance index improved by 50%, 26%, and 12% respectively in the treated group when compared before and after treatment. In the control group, the respective improvements were 50%, 39%, and 24%.
  • When comparing five post-surgical races with two pre-surgery races, a lower performance was detected in the post-surgery phase (P ≤ .03).
  • The treated horses had a greater number of post-surgery earnings rated at zero compared to the control group (P < .05). This suggests a negative impact on performance due to the treatment.
  • A stronger correlation was found between race earnings and Racing Post ratings (r = 0.634-0.796) than between the performance index and other measures (r = 0.378-0.692).

Conclusions

  • The decrease in post-surgery performance in horses with palatal dysfunction who underwent LTF and SPC ± TLEAF, compared to the unaffected control group, suggests that this treatment method may not effective.
  • The study also concluded the presence of a negative effect on performance due to TLEAF.
  • The conclusions suggest that although LTF is a common treatment for palatal dysfunction in NH racehorses, it may not be the most efficient method, warranting further research for exploring other treatment options.

Cite This Article

APA
Koskinen MJ, Virtala AK, McNally T. (2019). Racing performance of National Hunt thoroughbred racehorses after treatment of palatal dysfunction with a laryngeal tie-forward procedure and thermocautery of the soft palate with or without aryepiglottic folds resection. Vet Surg, 49(1), 114-123. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13321

Publication

Veterinary surgery : VS
ISSN: 1532-950X
NlmUniqueID: 8113214
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 49
Issue: 1
Pages: 114-123

Researcher Affiliations

Koskinen, Milja J
  • Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky.
Virtala, Anna-Maija K
  • Section of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
McNally, Turlough
  • Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital, The Curragh, Kildare, Ireland.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cautery / methods
  • Cautery / veterinary
  • Cohort Studies
  • Epiglottis / surgery
  • Female
  • Horse Diseases / surgery
  • Horses
  • Larynx / surgery
  • Male
  • Mouth Diseases / surgery
  • Palate, Soft / abnormalities
  • Palate, Soft / surgery
  • Physical Conditioning, Animal
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sports
  • United Kingdom

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Bergmann IM. Naturalness and the Legitimacy of Thoroughbred Racing: A Photo-Elicitation Study with Industry and Animal Advocacy Informants. Animals (Basel) 2020 Aug 26;10(9).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10091513pubmed: 32859112google scholar: lookup
  2. Cassiers V, McNally T. Technique description and outcome evaluation of Thoroughbred racehorses following soft palate thermocautery performed under standing sedation. Vet Med Sci 2024 Sep;10(5):e70018.
    doi: 10.1002/vms3.70018pubmed: 39285763google scholar: lookup
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