Upper Resp. Tract Noise In Companion Animals Flashcards
(71 cards)
what does athletic function in equines require
- low resistance
- high capacity
where does most airway resistance occur
80-90% is from upper airways
what occurs to airway resistance during exercise
increases by 80%
what occurs if diameter of airway reduces
if diameter reduces by 20% airway resistance doubles
what are the clinical signs of upper respiratory tract disease
- asymptomatic
- resp noise with or without exercise intolerance
- at gallop, stride rate and resp rate are coupled
- at trot, breathing and stride are independent
- dysphagia, nasal reflux of food material and/or cough
- resp. distress –> loud abnormal resp noise, nasal flaring, reduced nasal airflow, extended and low head position, increased resp rate and effort, severe cases may have cyanotic mucous membranes
what is the difference between stridor and stertor in dogs
- stridor –> harsh inspiratory noise at exercise, laryngeal paralysis, quiet at rest, profound dyspnoea at light exercise
- stertor –> snore at sleep and at exercise, brachycephalic breeds (fore-shortened noses and squashed pharynx, profound dyspnoea at sleep and exercise)
how is URT disease diagnostically evaluated
- history
- presenting complaint
- clinical signs (when do they occur –> rest or exercise)
- use or intended use
- effect of tack and head carriage
- prior surgery disease, or trauma of head and neck
how is respiratory disease investigated in horses
- full clinical exam (rule out lameness, cardiac disease, etc)
- lunge (both directions)
- exercise test (listen for upper resp noise and determine if its inspiratory, expiratory or both)
- rebreathing exam
what does a physical exam for URT disease entail (5)
- auscultate heart and lungs
- palpate jugular furrow and assess jugular fill (evidence of surgery, trauma, thrombosis of vein)
- palpate larynx (evidence of prior surgery, prominence of muscular process, laryngeal dysplasia)
- assess airflow from nostrils
- character of nasal discharge if any
how is a resting endoscopy performed and what does it evaluate (3)
unsedated
- nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea
- arytenoids –> function, thickness, mucosal lesions
- epiglottis –> position, thickness, ulceration, entrapping membrane
what does sedated endoscopy evaluate
- suepiglottic region –> may require topical anaesthesia
- guttural pouches
what is occuring here

larygneal paralysis
what are the differences in endoscopy with horses and dogs
horses: through the nasal cavity
dogs: through the oral cavity, soft palate is dorsal
what is occuring here

elongated soft palate
brachycephalics: stertor, dyspnea, death
what is the best diagnostic tool for diagnosing dynamic upper resp disorders
exercising upper airway endoscopy
approx 50% of horses presented for evaluation with normal resting endoscopy will have dynamic obstruction diagnosed on exercise exam and 19% to 56% of horses will have multiple abnormalities
what are the two methods of exercising upper airway endoscopy
- high speed treadmill
- overground endoscopy
what are the pros of highspeed treadmill exercise endoscopy (3)
- dynamic exam
- speed and incline can be altered
- training conditions are repeatable
what are the cons of highspeed treadmill exercise endoscopy (4)
- not ridden
- abnormal environment
- training required
- potentially dangerous
what are the pros of overground endoscopy
- dynamic exam
- more accurately recreates ridden conditions (environment, rider, tack, head carriage)
- inexpensive and more readily available
what are the cons of overground endoscopy
- same ridden conditions cannot be reproduced every time
what is recurrent laryngeal neuropathy
inspiratory disorder characterized by inability to fully abduct the corniculate process of an arytenoid cartilage (usually the left side)
what is recurrent laryngeal neuropathy caused by
neurogenic atrophy of muscles of abduction, especially the cricoarytenoideus dorsalis (CAD) muscle due to progressive loss of large myelinated fibres of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) (damage/dysfunction)
what is occuring here

post mortem depiciting atrophy of the left CAD muscle
recurrent laryngeal neuropathy
what is the pathogenesis of recurrent laryngeal neuropathy caused by progressive loss of myelinated axons of RLN (5)
- paralysis of CAD muscle
- inability to achieve maximum abduction of left arytenoid during exercise
- rima glottis progressively reduces in size
- hypoxemia, hypercarbia and metabolic acidosis
- early fatigue and poor performance










