Effect of ventriculectomy versus ventriculocordectomy on upper airway noise in draught horses with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy.
Authors: Cramp P, Derksen F J, Stick J A, Nickels F A, Brown K E, Robinson P, Robinson N E
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) causes significant upper airway obstruction in draught horses, but comparative data on surgical interventions in this population remain sparse. Cramp and colleagues prospectively evaluated 30 competitive draught horses with grade 4 RLN, randomising them to either bilateral ventriculectomy (VE, n=11) or bilateral ventriculocordectomy (VCE, n=19), using quantitative sound analysis during exercise to assess efficacy at 120 days post-surgery. Both procedures substantially reduced inspiratory noise and airway obstruction indices, with VE reducing the inspiratory-to-expiratory sound ratio and formant frequency intensity, whilst VCE achieved significantly greater reductions across these parameters plus overall inspiratory and expiratory times. Owner-reported success rates reflected these findings—64% of VE cases versus 83% of VCE cases demonstrated sufficient improvement for competitive return. For farriers and allied professionals supporting these horses, VCE emerges as the superior technique, though practitioners should be aware that longevity data remain limited and individual variation in outcomes warrants post-operative monitoring and realistic owner expectations.
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Practical Takeaways
- •VCE is the recommended surgical approach for treating RLN in draught horses due to superior reduction in airway noise compared to VE alone
- •Expect realistic success rates around 83% owner satisfaction with VCE, but allow adequate recovery time (120 days total) before returning horses to competitive pulling
- •Both procedures are safe options with minimal complications, but VCE produces significantly better functional outcomes for draught horse performance
Key Findings
- •Both ventriculectomy (VE) and ventriculocordectomy (VCE) significantly reduced upper airway noise indices in draught horses with grade 4 RLN
- •VCE was significantly more effective than VE at reducing sound intensity of the second formant (F2)
- •VCE showed owner-reported success rate of 83% (15/18 horses) versus 64% (7/11) for VE in improving upper airway sound for competition
- •Both procedures had few post-operative complications and required 90 days voice rest plus 30 days work before re-evaluation