Evaluation of high‐speed treadmill videoendoscopy for diagnosis of upper respiratory tract dysfunction in horses

Abstract

The results of this study are similar to reports from overseas and suggest high-speed treadmill videoendoscopy appears to be a useful technique to diagnose the cause of upper airway dysfunction in Australian horses referred specifically for poor performance associated with abnormal upper respiratory noise. However, a diagnosis will not be made in all horses undergoing this procedure. There were five horses with two or three abnormalities none of which were apparent at rest. This would suggest that in all horses making abnormal upper respiratory noise associated with poor performance, even where an abnormality is identified at rest, high-speed treadmill videoendoscopy should be performed for a complete diagnosis.

Dynamic upper respiratory abnormalities in Thoroughbred racehorses in South Africa

“…These results are comparable with studies in similar populations overseas where dynamic obstruction was identified in 65% -77% of horses (Dart et al 2001;Davidson et al 2011;Desmaizieres et al 2009;Franklin, Naylor & Lane 2006;Witte et al 2011).…”

“…Multiple abnormalities were observed in 50% of the horses examined ( Figure 5 and Figure 6), which is similar to the findings of Tan, Dowling and Dart (2005) and Dart et al (2001), who reported that 49% and 73% of horses in their study populations, respectively, had multiple respiratory abnormalities in contrast to another study that identified a lower proportion (32%) of horses with multiple respiratory abnormalities (Lumsden et al 1995). The detection of multiple abnormalities may be influenced by the population examined, evaluator expertise and the type of exercise performed (e.g.…”

“…In the present study, abnormal arytenoid function at exercise was observed in 33% of horses evaluated for poor performance and/or respiratory noise. Dynamic endoscopy in similar populations has detected this in approximately 8% -40% of horses (Allen & Franklin 2010;Barakzai & Dixon 2011;Dart et al 2001;Desmaizieres et al 2009;Tan et al 2005). Dorsal displacement of the soft palate was also one of the most commonly detected abnormalities in the present study (25%) (Figure 7), similar to the proportion of horses reported with DDSP in comparative populations: 19% (Pollock et al 2009), 26% (Witte et al 2011) and28% (Desmaizieres et al 2009).…”

“…Vocal cord collapse, detected in 18% of horses in this study, may be found as the sole URT abnormality, or it may be associated with RLN (Dart et al 2001;Kannegeiter & Dore 1995;Lane et al 2006;Tan et al 2005). Vocal cord collapse has been identified in 2% -12% of horses referred for HSTE (Dart et al 2001;Kannegeiter & Dore 1995;Lane et al 2006;Martin et al 2000;Tan et al 2005).…”

“…Vocal cord collapse has been identified in 2% -12% of horses referred for HSTE (Dart et al 2001;Kannegeiter & Dore 1995;Lane et al 2006;Martin et al 2000;Tan et al 2005).…”