The use of race winnings, ratings and a performance index to assess the effect of thermocautery of the soft palate for treatment of horses with suspected intermittent dorsal displacement. A case-control study in 110 racing Thoroughbreds.
Authors: Reardon R J M, Fraser B S L, Heller J, Lischer C, Parkin T, Bladon B M
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Thermocautery for Intermittent Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate in Racehorses Intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) is a significant cause of poor racing performance, yet thermocautery of the soft palate (TSP) lacked objective efficacy data prior to this 2008 study. Researchers compared 110 treated Thoroughbreds with 220 matched controls, measuring outcomes using three performance metrics: Racing Post ratings (RPR), prize money won, and a composite performance index (PI), analysed through regression modelling over serial race records. Improvement rates were disappointingly similar between treated and control groups (28–51% versus 21–53% across the three measures), with no significant benefit detected for RPR or prize money; only the performance index showed a marginal advantage for treated horses (P=0.015), with more achieving improvement and fewer deteriorating compared to controls. These findings suggest that thermocautery alone is an insufficient intervention for DDSP, implying that horses with suspected soft palate displacement may benefit from multimodal management strategies or that surgical case selection requires refinement—a critical consideration when counselling owners on prognosis and treatment options.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Thermocautery of the soft palate alone may not be an effective standalone treatment for DDSP in racing Thoroughbreds and should not be relied upon as the primary intervention
- •Performance improvements seen in treated horses are not significantly better than natural improvement in untreated control horses, suggesting placebo effect or spontaneous recovery may be occurring
- •Consider combining thermocautery with other treatments or investigating alternative management strategies for horses with suspected DDSP
Key Findings
- •28-51% of treated horses improved in racing performance compared to 21-53% of matched controls across three performance measures
- •No significant effect of thermocautery of the soft palate on Racing Post ratings or prize money won
- •Significant effect of procedure on performance index (P=0.015) with more treated horses showing improvement than controls
- •The three performance measures (RPR, RE, PI) showed significant correlation with each other