UNILATERAL ARYTENOID LATERALIZATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF LARYNGEAL PARALYSIS IN 4 CATS

A unilateral arytenoid lateralisation procedure was successfully perfo rmed in four cats with either unilateral or bilateral laryngeal paraly sis. All of the cats were presented for the investigation of signs of exercise-related respiratory embarrassment and strider. Other clinical signs seen included altered vocalisation, an inability to purr, cough ing and lethargy. A diagnosis of either bilateral or left or right uni lateral laryngeal paralysis was made in each case following visual ins pection of the vocal folds with the aid of a laryngoscope under a ligh t plane of anaesthesia. In two cases the paralysis was bilateral and t he condition was considered to be either congenital or idiopathic. In the other two cases the condition was unilateral and was considered to be iatrogenic as a result of previous surgical procedures. The result s of this technique were considered excellent in all cases.