A retrospective study on the success and competitive career of 25 thoroughbred racehorses treated with prosthetic laryngoplasty, and the usefulness of additional bilateral laser ventriculocordectomy to treat laryngeal hemiplegia

Abstract

This retrospective study evaluates the success and return to competitive career of thoroughbred racehorses treated with prosthetic laryngoplasty, with and without bilateral laser ventriculocordectomy (VCC), for left-sided laryngeal hemiplegia. Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) is a neurological disorder affecting the left recurrent laryngeal nerve, leading to partial or complete paralysis of the left side of the larynx, causing exercise intolerance and abnormal respiratory noise. The study involved 25 thoroughbreds, analysing their racing performance before and after surgery using metrics such as performance index (PI), earnings, Racing Post Ratings (RPR), top speed (TS), and distance beat.