Endoscopic Examination of the Obstructive Upper Respiratory Diseases (original) (raw)

Lower respiratory tract disease in Thoroughbred racehorses: Analysis of endoscopic data from a UK training yard

Equine Veterinary Journal, 2008

There has been much research directed at potential causative agents and the epidemiology of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD), but few reports of the clinical progression and outcome. Objectives: To define clinical features of LRTD in racehorses, including association with age and average duration of disease, through the analysis of endoscopic data. Methods: A retrospective analysis of records from a single training yard of endoscopic examinations undertaken over a 2-year period was performed. Horses were subjected to regular endoscopic examination for a variety of reasons, and all horses placed on antibiotic therapy for lower respiratory tract disease were rescoped following treatment. Data analysed included a 0-8 tracheal mucus score based on visible endoscopic mucus and gross tracheal lavage turbidity, as well as age and treatment duration and type. Results: A total of 522 endoscopic examinations undertaken on 123 horses and tracking 169 episodes of lower respiratory tract disease were recorded. Mean duration of disease episode was 15.5 days (median = 11 days, range = 4-61 days). Horses age 2 years were significantly more likely than those age ≥3 years to have at least one episode of respiratory disease (P<0.001). There was a direct association between initial tracheal mucus score and rescope score after treatment. Conclusions: Lower respiratory tract disease was more common in 2-year-olds than in older horses. Affected horses had endoscopic evidence of increased tracheal mucus accumulation for an average of 15.5 days per episode, a considerably shorter period than that suggested by previous studies. Potential relevance: Endoscopic examinations permit longitudinal tracking of lower respiratory tract disease in Thoroughbred racehorses. A prolonged duration of disease, sometimes extending for months, can be expected in a small proportion of cases, some of which appear to be refractory to treatment. There is a clear need for evidence-based analysis of treatment regimes to assist clinicians in decision making when managing disease in both individual and group situations.

Comparison of overground and resting endoscopy in the diagnosis of the simple and complex dynamic upper respiratory tract abnormalities in racehorses

2021

The purpose of the study was to find the source of complaints and to diagnose dynamic upper respiratory tract problems, which were derived from the horse owners, trainers, and jockeys, and to evaluate the overground endoscopic examination efficiency to determine the subclinical upper respiratory tract (URT) abnormalities, which were unable to diagnose with resting endoscopy. In the study, overground endoscopy has been used which nowadays there is a more useful and safe technique of performing endoscopy during ridden exercise in the natural field to diagnose dynamic upper respiratory tract (URT) abnormalities in comparison with the more traditional method of resting endoscopy. This study focused on 25 racehorses (Thoroughbred, n:22 and Arabian n: 3), which were admitted to Racehorse Hospital with complaints of fade abruptly and/or abnormal respiratory noise during the last meters of the race. All horses were examined for the complaints to be associated with systemic disorders and/or ...

UPPER AIRWAY EVALUATIONS OF THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSES IN A PRIVATE CLINIC IN CURITIBA, BRAZIL – RESTING ENDOSCOPIC FINDINGS IN 587 HORSES

Archives of Veterinary Science, 2012

Obstructive upper airway diseases are an important cause of poor performance in athletic horses. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of common URT abnormalities (pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia -PLH, dorsal displacement of the soft palate -DDSP and recurrent laryngeal neuropathy -RLN) in a population of Thoroughbred racehorses in training submitted to resting endoscopy in a private clinic in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. 587 URT resting endoscopies, 385 2year-old and 202 3-year-old-plus horses, were performed during the period of the study and the clinical records of all the examinations were reviewed and analysed. 340 (57.9 %) horses were evaluated for routine athletic follow up, 15 (2.6%) were pre-purchase examinations, 83 (14.1%) were examined as an investigation for cough, 58 (9.9%) horses had poor performance, 48 (8.2%) had abnormal respiratory noise, 35 (6.0%) had epistaxis and 8 (1.4%) had nasal discharge. PLH grades III and IV was diagnosed in 198 (33.7%) horses and was more prevalent in the 2-yearold group than in the older horses (40.5% vs. 20.8%, p<0.05). DDSP was identified in 185 (31.5%) horses, grade III RLN in 13 (2.2%) and grade IV was seen in 21 (3.6%) horses. The present study gives a prevalence of upper airway abnormalities in resting endoscopic evaluation in a racehorse population in Brazil.

Dynamic respiratory endoscopy of Standardbred racehorses during qualifying races

Equine Veterinary Journal, 2012

Reason for performing study: Examination of the equine upper airway during racing has not previously been documented. Objective: To describe the feasibility and appearance of the upper airways by overground respiratory endoscopic examination during racing conditions. Methods: Overground videoendoscopic examinations were performed on 46 Standardbred racehorses during qualifying races. Examined horses' speeds were recorded throughout the race with a portable GPS device. Results: The procedure did not interfere with performance as there were no significant differences in race times between races in which horses were examined with the endoscope in place and prior unexamined races. Airway obstructions during or after the race were documented in 21 horses. Most previously reported causes of upper airway obstruction were observed; surprisingly bilateral ventro-medial arytenoid displacement (VMAD; n = 5) was seen during exercise as frequently as dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP). Although DDSP (n = 10) was the most common diagnosis made, many displacements (n = 5) occurred after the race. Horses that demonstrated DDSP after the race had slower speeds than unaffected horses during the race. Conclusions: Racing endoscopy permits the diagnosis of upper airway obstructions without affecting performance. The occurrence of DDSP immediately after exercise may be clinically relevant. During racing VMAD may be an important anomaly. Potential relevance: Racing endoscopy could be used to correlate the sensitivity of diagnostic endoscopy during race-training or treadmill examination. The pathogenesis and significance of VMAD deserves further investigation.

INCIDENCE OF UPPER RESPIRATORY AFFECTIONS ASSOCIATED POOR PERFORMANCE IN HORSES

tanuvas.tn.nic.in

A total incidence of 8.65 per cent of upper respiratory tract affections was recorded in horses during the period of present study. Male horses were affected predominantly than female horses. Four to eight year old horses were most commonly affected and a higher incidence was observed in Thoroughbreds. A higher incidence of left laryngeal hemiplegia was recorded followed by dorsal displacement of soft palate, epiglottic entrapment, pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia, guttural pouch empyema and rostral displacement of palatal arch.

Upper and Lower Airways Evaluation and Its Relationship with Dynamic Upper Airway Obstruction in Racehorses

Animals

Dynamic upper airway obstructions (DUAO) are common in racehorses, but their pathogenetic mechanisms have not been completely clarified yet. Multiple studies suggest that alterations of the pharyngo-laryngeal region visible at resting endoscopy may be predictive of the onset of DUAO, and the development of DUAO may be associated with pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (PLH), lower airway inflammation (LAI) and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). The present study aims to investigate the possible relationship between the findings of a complete resting evaluation of the upper and lower airways and DUAO. In this retrospective study, 360 racehorses (Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds) referred for poor performance or abnormal respiratory noises were enrolled and underwent a diagnostic protocol including resting and high-speed treadmill endoscopy, cytological examination of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and radiographic assessment of the epiglottis length. In this population, epig...

Endoscopic assessment of airway function as a predictor of racing performance in Thoroughbred yearlings: 427 cases (1997–2000)

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2001

Objective—To compare endoscopic findings of the upper portion of the respiratory tract in Thoroughbred yearlings with their subsequent race records to determine whether subjective assessment of airway function may be used as a predictor of future racing performance. Design—Retrospective study. Animals—427 Thoroughbred yearlings. Procedures—Endoscopic examination findings were obtained from the medical records and the videoendoscopic repository of the Keeneland 1996 September yearling sales. Racing records were requested for the yearlings through the end of their 4-year-old racing season (1997–2000). Twenty-nine measures of racing performance were correlated with endoscopic findings. Subjective arytenoid cartilage movement grades were determined, using a 4-point grading scale (grade 1 = symmetrical synchronous abduction of the arytenoid cartilages; grade 4 = no substantial movement of the left arytenoid cartilage). Results—Of the 427 Thoroughbred yearlings included in this study, 364...

Investigation of respiratory disorders in Thoroughbred racehorses training at the Brazilian Jockey Club

Ciência Rural

ABSTRACT: Athletic horses need to maintain healthy airways for optimal performance. This study investigated the presence of respiratory problems in apparently healthy Thoroughbred racehorses in training. According to the Revised Consensus Statement on Inflammatory Airway Diseases of Horses (2016), determining the prevalence of respiratory disorders in different equine populations is fundamental for understanding these diseases. In total, 72 clinically sound Thoroughbred racehorses, in training at the Brazilian Jockey Club (JCB), were initially examined using interpleural pressure measurement by ventigraphy and respiratory endoscopy. When secretions were present in the airways, transendoscopic tracheal aspiration was performed, and the sample was sent for cytology. The main findings included a combination of bronchospasm and tracheal secretions with 61% of the cytology slides showing neutrophil counts ≥20%. Overall, a significant number of the horses displayed signs suggestive of inf...