Salpingopharyngeal fistula as a treatment for guttural pouch mycosis in seven horses.

The research explores a new treatment method for guttural pouch mycosis in horses, a condition that can potentially cause nasal discharge, dysphagia, and fatal hemorrhage. The study tested the use of a procedure called salpingopharyngostomy on seven horses and found it effective in resolving the condition with minimum complications.

Research Details

The study was a retrospective case series conducted at the New Bolton Center. Medical records of horses diagnosed with guttural pouch mycosis between 2006 and 2017 were thoroughly examined for this study. The researchers focused their investigation on seven horses that were treated with the salpingopharyngostomy procedure alone.

• Key data collected in the study were information about the horses (signalment), the initial complaint, the pouch affected, the size and location of the fungal plaques, the function of the larynx and pharynx, concurrent medical therapy, the location of the fistula, and surgical time.
• Other data collected were time taken to resolve clinical signs, time taken for complete resolution of the mycotic plaque, and patency of the salpingopharyngostomy site.

Results

Post-surgery, all horses with a nasal discharge showed recovery within 10-30 days while complete resolution of mycotic plaques varied but was achieved between 1 to 6 months post-operation. Interestingly, no cases developed epistaxis or neurological deficits post-operation if they were not present at the time of presentation.

Conclusions

The study notes that there were variations in adjunctive treatments across cases. The authors advise against using the technique for horses that have had epistaxis or are currently bleeding. Despite these limitations, salpingopharyngostomy emerges as a cost-effective treatment that can be performed on an outpatient basis and provides better exposure to the infected area with minimal complications. All seven horses in the case series treated with this method showed resolution of the infection without experiencing any further complications from the mycosis.