Transendoscopic electrosurgery for epiglottal entrapment in the horse.

This research utilized monopolar electrosurgical cutting to correct the condition of epiglottal entrapment in horses. The operation was performed under local anesthesia and showed promising results, suggesting potential applicability in treating other respiratory diseases in horses and different species.

Method and Procedure

• The authors carried out surgeries on five horses suffering from epiglottal entrapment using a technique known as monopolar electrosurgical cutting.
• This procedure was performed on awake horses under topical anesthesia, eliminating the need for general anesthesia and laryngotomy.
• A specially designed coagulation electrode was used for the electrosurgery. This electrode was introduced through the instrument channel of a fiberoptic endoscope.

Results and Complications

• The surgeries were successful and didn’t lead to severe complications.
• In two of the horses, however, significant submucosal swelling was noticed at the surgical wound’s location. In one horse, this swelling took several weeks to subside.
• Despite the swelling, in the long run, both of these two horses only experienced a minor degree of reentrapment.

Advantages and Further Applications

• The technique’s significant benefits include avoiding general anesthesia and laryngotomy, enabling treatment without substantial disruption in the racehorses’ training schedules.
• The procedure is quick and straightforward and doesn’t result in blood loss or subsequent dorsal displacement of the soft palate.
• The authors suggest this electrosurgery procedure has potential future use in treating various respiratory diseases in horses and other species.
• Potential applications could include treatment of guttural pouch tympany, soft palate cysts, nasopharyngeal polyps, choanal atresia, subepiglottic cysts, and tracheal granulomata.

No Direct Correlation Between Epiglottal Entrapment and Dorsal Displacement

• The researchers conducted a review of 21 other cases of epiglottal entrapment in horses and found no evidence to support the suggestion that dorsal displacement of the soft palate is a cause of epiglottal entrapment or vice-versa.