Laryngeal paralysis in dogs: An evaluation of the bilateral arytenoid lateralisation procedure

Within the past decade, the number of reported cases of laryngeal paralysis in dogs has increased markedly. The disease is characterised by laryngeal obstruction caused by the inadequate abduction and instability of the arytenoid cartilages, aryepiglottic folds and vocal cords. Therefore, surgery performed to alleviate the clinical signs should ideally aim to reduce the airway obstruction and to prevent dynamic collapse. This paper presents the effectiveness of bilateral arytenoid lateralisation in 19 dogs with bilateral laryngeal paralysis. The procedure was effective in alleviating the clinical signs of laryngeal obstruction in all 19 dogs, with most surviving for several years. Postoperative laryngoscopic observations showed that the arytenoid cartilages were held in a satisfactory abducted position. A comparison of PaO₂ values before and after surgery demonstrated a significant (P 0·001) fall in the PaO₂ measurement between the pre- and postoperative blood samples. Postoperative complications included suture prosthesis failure in two dogs and a single non-fatal incident of aspiration pneumonia in two dogs.