Postanaesthetic bilateral laryngeal paralysis in a pony – a case report

Tóthová, Katarína; Kabeš, Radovan; Bettschart-Wolfensberger, Regula

doi:10.2754/avb202493030275

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2024, Vol. 93 > Issue 3 > Postanaesthetic bilateral laryngeal…

Acta Vet. Brno 2024, 93: 275-280

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb202493030275

Postanaesthetic bilateral laryngeal paralysis in a pony – a case report

Katarína Tóthová¹, Radovan Kabeš¹, Regula Bettschart-Wolfensberger²

¹University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Equine Clinic, Brno, Czech Republic
²University of Zürich, Vetsuisse Faculty, Department of Diagnostics and Clinical Sciences, Zürich, Switzerland

Received February 16, 2024
Accepted July 11, 2024

A twenty-one-year-old 420 kg pony underwent general anaesthesia for colic surgery. After recovery, the pony developed severe inspiratory stridor and collapsed. Emergency tracheotomy was performed immediately. Endoscopic examination of upper airways confirmed total bilateral laryngeal paralysis. For three months, the pony was kept alive with a non-permanent tracheostomy. Unilateral (left) laryngeal nerve recovery occurred after three months. The tracheostomy tube was removed and secondary intention healing allowed. Tracheostomy site healed uneventfully.