title: Long-term maintenance of arytenoid cartilage abduction and stability during exercise after laryngoplasty in 33 horses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To (1) assess long-term maintenance of arytenoid cartilage abduction (ACA) after laryngoplasty (LP); and (2) correlate the residual grade of ACA and postoperative abductory loss with arytenoid cartilage stability (ACS) during exercise.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Horses re-examined after laryngoplasty (n = 33).
  
  
  METHODS
  Of 89 LP horses (2005-2010), 33 had historic ACA data available and upper airway endoscopy at rest and during over-ground exercise (mean, 33 months; range, 4-71 months) after surgery. ACA grade at 1 and 6 weeks postoperatively were correlated to long-term ACA grade. Effects of long-term ACA grade and magnitude of postoperative abductory loss on ACS during exercise were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median ACA grade at 1 week (n = 33) was 2, reducing to grade 3 by week 6 (n = 16). Grade 3 abduction was maintained in the long-term. Correlation between ACA at 1 week and the long-term was poor (ρ = .43, P = .1), but there was good correlation between week 6 and long-term (ρ = .89, P < .001). Arytenoid cartilage instability was observed during exercise in 7/33 of horses, and not significantly associated with the ACA grade (P = .50), or the number of grades of ACA lost (P = .64).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Limited abductory loss occurs after 6 weeks postoperatively. Resting ACA grade was not a useful predictor of ACS during exercise.
authors: Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, UK. timothy.barnett@ed.ac.uk
authors: Timothy P
authors: TP
authors: Barnett
authors: John Mark
authors: JM
authors: O'Leary
authors: Timothy D H
authors: TD
authors: Parkin
authors: Padraic M
authors: PM
authors: Dixon
authors: Safia Z
authors: SZ
authors: Barakzai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001193:Arytenoid Cartilage / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D058753:Laryngoplasty / Q000662:veterinary*; D007830:Larynx / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000662:veterinary; D014741:Video Recording