Study: Throat Anatomy Differs in DDSP Horses

Horses with persistent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP), an important performance-limiting abnormality of the upper respiratory tract, have a different anatomic location of the larynx than horses with only intermittent DDSP, report Cornell University researchers.

DDSP affects approximately 10% to 20% of racehorses and is diagnosed by observing the caudal border of the soft

Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Horses with persistent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP), an important performance-limiting abnormality of the upper respiratory tract, have a different anatomic location of the larynx than horses with only intermittent DDSP, report Cornell University researchers.

DDSP affects approximately 10% to 20% of racehorses and is diagnosed by observing the caudal border of the soft palate dorsal to the epiglottis for more than 8 seconds. The condition causes an expiratory obstruction, which reduces the amount of air that is inhaled or exhaled per minute, resulting in hypoxemia (oxygen deficiency).

While intermittent DDSP is more common, persistent DDSP is considered a performance-ending disease (rather than simply performance-limiting) because of the constant obstruction of the respiratory tract.

To test the theory that horses with persistent DDSP have a different laryngohyoid position than horses with only intermittent DDSP, researchers reviewed medical records and radiographs of horses with both forms of DDSP

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
433 votes · 433 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!