Case Report: Salpingoscopy for the treatment of recurrent guttural pouch tympany in a filly

摘要

Partial resection of the plica salpingopharyngea, performed under general anaesthesia by a modified Whitehouse approach, is one of the recommended surgical treatments of guttural pouch tympany. However, with this approach, trauma to important nervousstructures within the walls of the pouch can potentially result in dysphagia and cranial neuropathies (Hardy and Leveille 2003). Laser fenestration of the median septum between the pouches and creation of a salpingopharyngeal fistula have been successfulbut complications include healing of the fenestration and recurrence of the condition (Tate et al. 1995). In the present case, recurrence of the condition motivated the development of a minimally invasive approach to the guttural pouches, which provided excellent visualisation and surgical access to the internal openings of the eustachian tubes and helped minimise soft tissue trauma.