EQUINE | Abstracts
Results
Surgery was performed in 17 client‐owned animals
with RLN. Reinnervation was confirmed by nerve
stimulation and subsequent arytenoid abduction
observed in 11 out of 12 cases between 4 and
12 months post‐operatively. Fourteen horses had
exercising endoscopy before and after surgery. Nine
horses had an improved exercising RLN grade, four
horses had the same exercising grade and one horse
had a worse exercising grade after surgery.
Main limitations
A sham‐operated control group was not included and
follow‐up beyond 12 months and objective perfor-
mance data were not obtained.
Conclusions
The modified first or second cervical nerve transplan-
tation technique, using tunnelling and direct implan-
tation of the donor nerve into the cricoarytenoideus
dorsalis muscle, resulted in reinnervation in 11 out of
12 cases and improved exercising grade in 9 out of 14
horses within 12 months after surgery.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.12788/full
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• Equine Health Update •