A novel approach for palatal cyst ablation in a horse

Abstract

An 18-month-old Welsh Cob was referred to a university teaching hospital for investigation of abnormal respiratory noise at rest. Video-endoscopy revealed persistent displacement of the soft palate with bilateral 2-3 cm diameter raised areas on either side of the midline. Neither trans-nasal nor oral approaches allowed sufficient visualisation of the caudal soft palate for diagnosis or treatment. Latero-lateral radiographs showed a blunted, thickened caudal edge of the soft palate consistent with a palatal cyst. Two palatal cysts were thermally ablated with a transendoscopic diode laser via temporary tracheotomy. The horse recovered uneventfully and resolution of the displacement was evident on follow-up endoscopy 11 months later. This report documents a novel surgical approach to the caudal aspect of the soft palate.

Deciphering and treating dysphagia in young horses

“…The authors of ‘A novel approach for palatal cyst ablation in a horse’ in this issue of Equine Veterinary Education (Sinovich et al . ) should be commended for bringing this thoughtful approach to a palatal problem to the readership. There are several components of this report that are worthy of further discussion.…”