Laser
Surgery 2:18
Respiratory (breathing) unsoundness and orthopedic injury are two common causes of poor performance in horses.
This horse appears normal at rest, but at exercise we see and hear that he has a collapsed arytenoid cartilage. He is only getting about half the amount of air he needs because the left side of his throat is paralyzed. He'll need to have a laryngoplasty, or tie-back. In this two-part surgery a laser removes the vocal chord from the paralyzed throat tissue, and then sutures are placed to tie the damaged cartilage into an open position.
A catheter in his vein gives us rapid access to administer his medicines throughout his stay with us, from his anesthesia meds, to the antibiotics he'll need during recovery.
The laser surgery is done with the horse standing. A scope is inserted to introduce the laser and long forceps are used to grasp and remove the vocal chord.
The horse is now prepared for suturing. The endotracheal scope reveals the damaged airway and two sutures are placed. After five days, he's ready to go home.
Dr. Norm Ducharme
