Surgery for DDSP

Dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) occurs when the palate partially obstructs the airway by becoming displaced on top of the epiglottis. This can affect breathing, especially during intense exercise. Jennifer Smith, DVM, University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, discussed the combined effects of the surgeries sternothyroideus myotomy, modified staphylectomy, and soft palate thermoplasty in Thoroughbred racehorses affected with DDSP.

Staphylectomy involves surgically resecting a small portion of the caudal edge of the soft palate. Sternothyroideus myotomy involves cutting the sternothyroideus muscle. During soft palate thermoplasty, a carbon dioxide laser is used to make several parallel lines through the oral mucosa (mucous membrane) and the submucosa along the caudal edge of the soft palate, which creates a large area of fibrosis and stiffens the palate