Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Characteristics of experimental recurrent laryngeal nerve surgical injury in dogs.
By Xu, Wen et al.·Published in The Annals of otology, rhinology, and laryngology·2009·Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, China·View original on PubMed →
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- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs experienced different types of recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries, which can affect their ability to bark and breathe normally. The injuries were categorized as complete or incomplete, and the dogs were monitored for changes in their vocal fold movement over time. Dogs with complete injuries showed no improvement in vocal fold motion, while those with incomplete injuries had some recovery. The study found that the severity of the injury impacted the dogs' recovery, with transection being the most severe.
People also search for: dog laryngeal nerve injury symptoms · why is my dog barking hoarsely · treatment for dog vocal fold problems
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: We characterized various recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injuries in dogs. METHODS: Sixteen dogs were classified as having complete injuries (transection) or incomplete injuries (ligation, half-section, and crush). The characteristics of nerve injuries were evaluated by endoscopic examination, laryngeal electromyography (LEMG), and histopathologic examination at 0 to 12 months after the injury. RESULTS: After the RLN injury, the average muscle fiber diameter and the average muscle bundle diameter of the affected muscles were decreased, and the average number of muscular cell nuclei per square inch increased. Fibrillation potentials were found 1 to 3 months after injury, and reinnervation potentials appeared 3 to 6 months after incomplete injury. For nerve transection and ligation, there was no reaction with LEMG instantly after injury involving vocal fold fixation. Vocal fold motion did not improve in members of the complete injury group, whereas all of the vocal folds in the members of the nerve ligation subgroup had limited activity in the later period. Various forms of vocal fold mobility were observed after injury in the half-section subgroup. Animals in the crush subgroup had normal EMG signals combined with abnormal LEMG signals with lower amplitudes after injury. Vocal fold fixation was not observed in this subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: We found the causes of nerve injury, in order of decreasing severity, to be transection, ligation, half-section, and crush.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19746756/