LARYNGO-PHARYNGEAL DESENSITIZATION FOLLOWING A PROSTHETIC LARYNGOPLASTY

A two-year-old Thoroughbred gelding presented eighty-one days after a left-sided prosthetic laryngoplasty (PL). The horse had a continual bi lateral foamy ingesta stained nasal discharge as a consequence of dysp hagia. An endoscopic examination revealed permanent dorsal displacemen t of the soft palate (DDSP), which appeared to be associated with a de gree of laryngo-pharyngeal mucosal desensitization. The left arytenoid was fixed in a neutral position. It was postulated that the desensiti zation and thence pharyngeal dysfunction had resulted from surgical tr auma to the cranial laryngeal nerve (CLN).