The Relevance of Dynamic Endoscopy in Sport HorsesUpper AirwayDisseases

Abstract

Upper aiwaydisseases in horses are the second leading cause of performancelossafter musculo-skeletal pathologies, whichcan cause exercise intolerance that is evidencedby a decrease in athletic performance. Obstructive disorders ofupper respiratory tract(URT)are produced during horse’s exercise, and it ́s a common problem among racehorses, affecting 70% of patients with arespiratorynoiseor poor performance. The evaluation ofhorse’s upper airway is performed by anURT endoscopy. However many alterations of equine’sURTare dynamic in nature, which are produced just duringexercise, so they are not necessarily evidentduring an endoscopic examination at rest. Therefore, the treadmill (high-speed tape) and dynamic endoscopy studies in the field have revealed that the dynamic collapse of the URTis a major cause of poor performance in sport horses.In Chile there is no dynamic endoscopy availiable, whichlimits thecorrectdiagnosis andcan result in treatment failure and economic losses.