Position of maximal nasopharyngeal maximal occlusion in relation to hamuli pterygoidei: use of hamuli pterygoidei as landmarks for palatoplasty in brachycephalic airway obstruction syndrome surgical treatment

Abstract

The hamuli pterygoidei are a reliable landmark for soft palate incision for palatoplasty in these cases but the distance between them and the site of maximal nasopharyngeal occlusion varied greatly.

The impact of tongue dimension on air volume in brachycephalic dogs

“…33,54 In addition, the most caudal aspect of the hard palate (level X) and the hamulae of the pterygoid (level Y) are consistent, readily identified, repeatable landmarks for both skull types that have been previously used as anatomic landmarks for soft palate measurements, providing easily repeatable measurements. 6,33 Cross-sectional areas were chosen because they are easier to measure in the software and more repeatable than volumes. All of the variables compared at these two levels verified that brachycephalic dogs have more soft tissue than air and more soft tissue in their airway compared with mesaticephalic dogs.…”

“…Our rationale for choosing two specific levels to examine the cross‐sectional anatomy was based on preliminary assessments of brachycephalic head and neck CT and previous studies in which areas of known obstruction in brachycephalic dogs were shown . In addition, the most caudal aspect of the hard palate (level X) and the hamulae of the pterygoid (level Y) are consistent, readily identified, repeatable landmarks for both skull types that have been previously used as anatomic landmarks for soft palate measurements, providing easily repeatable measurements . Cross‐sectional areas were chosen because they are easier to measure in the software and more repeatable than volumes.…”

“…Although the large tongue of brachycephalic dogs is readily appreciable by oral examination, it has been noted uncommonly and inconsistently in the peer‐reviewed literature, and, when mentioned, it is typically unreferenced or cited as an earlier anecdotal observation . Possibly because of the lack of robust documentation, macroglossia is not listed as a feature of brachycephalism in many major veterinary texts, so awareness of it may be low in the veterinary profession .…”

“…24,[26][27][28][29][30] Although the large tongue of brachycephalic dogs is readily appreciable by oral examination, it has been noted uncommonly and inconsistently in the peer-reviewed literature, and, when mentioned, it is typically unreferenced or cited as an earlier anecdotal observation. [31][32][33][34][35][36][37] Possibly because of the lack of robust documentation, macroglossia is not listed as a feature of brachycephalism in many major veterinary texts, so awareness of it may be low in the veterinary profession. [38][39][40][41][42][43][44] To the best of the authors' knowledge, there have been no studies in which macroglossia has been actually quantitated in brachycephalic dogs or in which brachycephalic dogs have been compared with mesaticephalic dogs.…”

Development and validation of a brachycephalic risk (BRisk) score to predict the risk of complications in dogs presenting for surgical treatment of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome

“…Determining the optimal method of surgical management of these dogs is an area of active research, with several procedures currently in common use . The mortality risk in this group is relatively high at 3.2% to 7% .…”