| dc.description.abstract | SUMMARY
Brachycephalic airway obstruction syndrome, BAOS, frequently affects brachyce phalic dogs. The aetiology of the syndrome consists of congenital primary defor mations due to forced breeding selection processes (stenotic nares, elongated
and thick soft palate, macroglossia, abnormal nasopharyngeal turbinates and tra cheal hypoplasia) and consecutive secondary changes (oedematous infiltration of
laryngeal and pharyngeal areas, laryngeal collapse, tonsillar enlargement).
The objective of this article is to give a detailed description of the potential con servative and surgical therapeutic solutions for BAOS.
The authors describe conservative treatment options and their limitations for
both respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Following the presentation of potentially applicable drugs (sedatives, cortico steroids) and further conservative methods, the authors describe in detail the
possible surgical procedures used for the treatment of BAOS.
The article describes surgical solutions for the complex lesions defining BAOS,
such as wedge resection and other techniques for the opening of stenotic nares
and laser-assisted turbinectomy for freeing the nasal cavity. Following the lesions
from rostral to caudal, the authors describe surgical methods concerning the
larynx, such as sacculectomy, laryngectomy and arytenoid laryngoplasty. After
the description of tonsillectomy, surgical techniques for reducing the length and
potentially the thickness of the soft palate, as one of the main components of
BAOS, are being described. As an ultima ratio, the two methods (horizontal and
vertical approach) for creating tracheostomy are also described.
As BAOS is a progressive disease, appropriate education of the owners com pleted by early and adequate intervention if needed is crucial. | en_US |
