The slap test for laryngeal adductory function in horses with suspected cervical spinal cord damage.
Abstract: The paper describes the assessment and practical implications of a laryngeal adductory reflex in a series of 30 ataxic and 64 non-ataxic horses. The reflex was evoked by slapping the saddle region just caudal to the withers. In normal horses this produced a flickering adductory movement of the contralateral arytenoid cartilage which was observed endoscopically. Abolition of the laryngeal response was encountered in in 3 situations:--(1) Disruption of the afferent impulse occurred in those horses in which there was significant spinal cord pathology affecting the pathway from the cranial thoracic region to the medulla. (2) Disruption of the efferent impulse was manifest when damage to the adductory component of the recurrrent laryngeal nerve prevented normal adduction. (3) The reflex was abolished in tense or frightened horses, possibly due to interference from higher centres. The laryngeal adductory reflex was considered to be a useful diagnostic and prognostic aid in the assessment of ataxia and spinal cord lesions in the horse.
Publication Date: 1980-07-01 PubMed ID: 7408833DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1980.tb03399.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research conducted tests on horses to determine if a laryngeal reflex could be a useful diagnostic tool in assessing spinal cord damage and mobility disorders in horses.
Objectives of the Study
- The main objective was to assess whether the reflex of the larynx could be effectively used as a diagnostic and prognostic aid in assessing ataxia (loss of body control) and spinal cord lesions in horses.
- The study also aimed to observe whether the laryngeal reflex could be disrupted and in what situations it would occur.
Design and Methodology of the Study
- 94 horses were tested in the study, 30 of which were ataxic or had a loss of full control of their bodily movements, while the remaining 64 horses had normal body control.
- The reflex was invoked in the horses by slapping the saddle region just behind the withers (the ridge between the shoulder blades of a horse).
- In healthy horses, this reflex produced a flicking movement of the arytenoid cartilage which is situated at the top of the larynx. This movement was observed endoscopically.
Findings and Results
- Normal, non-ataxic horses exhibited a flickering adductory movement of the arytenoid cartilage when the saddle region was slapped.
- The study identified three situations where the laryngeal reflex was absent:
- Horses with significant spinal cord damage affecting the pathway from the cranial thoracic region to the medulla.
- Horses with damage to the adductory component of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which prevented normal adduction.
- Horses that were tense or frightened, which could disrupt the reflex due to interference from higher centers in the brain.
Conclusion and Implication of the Study
- The research concluded that the presence or absence of the laryngeal reflex could serve as a useful diagnostic tool in assessing spinal cord lesions and ataxia in horses.
- This method of diagnosis can be a non-invasive, swift and effective way to assess any neurological damage that might be present in a horse.
Cite This Article
APA
Greet TR, Jeffcott LB, Whitwell KE, Cook WR.
(1980).
The slap test for laryngeal adductory function in horses with suspected cervical spinal cord damage.
Equine Vet J, 12(3), 127-131.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1980.tb03399.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Ataxia / diagnosis
- Ataxia / physiopathology
- Ataxia / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Laryngeal Diseases / diagnosis
- Laryngeal Diseases / physiopathology
- Laryngeal Diseases / veterinary
- Male
- Physical Stimulation
- Reflex
- Spinal Cord Diseases / diagnosis
- Spinal Cord Diseases / physiopathology
- Spinal Cord Diseases / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Specht TE, Peyton LC, Nixon AJ, Rose RJ. Spontaneous recovery from idiopathic right laryngeal hemiplegia in a horse. Can Vet J 1989 Jul;30(7):593-4.
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