Effect of laryngoplasty on respiratory noise reduction in horses with laryngeal hemiplegia

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Laryngoplasty is the technique of choice for treatment of laryngeal hemiplegia, with the aim of improving airway function and/or eliminating respiratory noise. However, there are no quantitative data in the literature describing the effect of laryngoplasty on upper airway noise or its relationship to upper airway mechanics in horses with laryngeal hemiplegia. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether laryngoplasty reduces respiratory noise in exercising horses with laryngeal hemiplegia; and to establish whether the degree of upper airway obstruction can be predicted by upper airway noise, or the degree of arytenoid abduction correlated with airway obstruction and noise production. METHODS: Six Standardbred horses with normal upper airways during maximal exercise were used. Respiratory sounds and inspiratory transupper airway pressure (Pui) were measured in all horses before and after induction of laryngeal hemiplegia and 30, 60 and 90 days after laryngoplasty. Inspiratory sound level (SL) and the sound intensity of the 3 inspiratory formants (F1, F2 and F3, respectively) were measured using a computer-based sound analysis programme. The degree of abduction was graded by endoscopic visualisation 1, 30, 60 and 90 days post operatively. Linear regression analysis was used to determine correlations between Pui, sound indices and grades of arytenoid abduction. RESULTS: In laryngeal hemiplegia-affected horses, Pui, inspiratory SL and the sound intensity of F1, F2 and F3 were significantly increased. At 30 days following laryngoplasty, the sound intensity of F1 and Pui returned to baseline values. The sound intensities of F2, F3 and SL were significantly improved from laryngeal hemiplegia values at 30 days post operatively, but did not return to baseline at any measurement period. Sound level, F2 and F3 were significantly correlated with Pui (P<0.05), but the correlations were weak (r2 = 0.26, 035 and 0.40, respectively). Grade of abduction and F2 were positively and significantly correlated (P<0.006, r2 = 0.76). Grade of arytenoid abduction and Pui were not correlated (P = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: Laryngoplasty reduced inspiratory noise in laryngeal hemiplegia-affected horses by 30 days following surgery, but did not return it to baseline values. While upper airway noise and Pui were correlated, this relationship was insufficiently strong to predict Pui from noise in individual animals. The degree of arytenoid abduction was not correlated with Pui, but was positively correlated with noise production. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Laryngoplasty reduces upper airway noise in horses with laryngeal hemiplegia, but is not as effective as bilateral ventriculocordectomy in this regard, although respiratory noise reduction occurs more rapidly than with bilateral ventriculocordectomy. Residual noise during exercise cannot be used as a predictor of improvement in upper airway function in individual horses following laryngoplasty. The degree of arytenoid abduction obtained following surgery does not affect upper airway flow mechanics. Interestingly, we found that the greater the arytenoid abduction, the louder the respiratory noise.