title: Clinicopathologic observations on laryngoplasty failure in a horse.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report morphologic findings associated with laryngoplasty failure in a horse.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical report.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 9-year-old Thoroughbred cross gelding.
  
  
  METHODS
  Necropsy and histopathology were performed on a horse that died peracutely during anesthetic recovery after correction of a right dorsal displacement of the ascending colon. Three weeks earlier the horse had left laryngoplasty and ventriculocordectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dissection of the larynx revealed that the laryngoplasty suture had pulled through the muscular process of the left arytenoid cartilage, which appeared grossly normal. Histopathology of the arytenoid muscular process revealed cartilage necrosis, granulation tissue, and inflammation around the cartilage and within the cartilage failure line, and small numbers of coccoid bacteria in a minority of cartilage canals. Multifocal cardiomyopathy and pulmonary congestion, edema, and hemorrhage were also observed histologically.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Death was attributed to peracute pulmonary edema associated with cardiac abnormalities and airway obstruction from laryngoplasty failure. Morphologic changes in the muscular process indicate gradual progression toward laryngoplasty failure, possibly associated with suture-induced pressure necrosis and/or microscopic low-grade postoperative infection.
authors.affiliation: Pathobiology Section, FET Pauwels to Massey Equine, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. mrh0029@auburn.edu
authors.forename: Michael Robert
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Hardcastle
authors.forename: Frederik Ekhart Theo
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Pauwels
authors.forename: Mark Grey
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Collett
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006736:Horses; D058753:Laryngoplasty / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000662:veterinary*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000662:veterinary; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D014826:Vocal Cord Paralysis / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary