Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Foal, 16 days old, has trouble swallowing - what to do?
By Bandera, Lorenza et al.·Published in Journal of equine veterinary science·2023·Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Italy·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Cyst of the Guttural Pouch in a Foal: A Case Report.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 16-day-old Warmblood foal had a rare cyst in its guttural pouch, which is a part of the upper airway. The foal was having trouble swallowing, known as dysphagia, because the cyst was pushing into the throat area. To treat this, veterinarians used a special laser during an endoscopic procedure to drain the cyst. After the surgery, the foal's swallowing problems were resolved, and there were no signs of the cyst returning even a year later. Overall, the treatment was successful.
Abstract
Although cysts can occur anywhere in the equine upper airway, cysts of the guttural pouch are rare. The purpose of this report is to describe the clinical presentation, diagnostic procedure, and surgical treatment of a guttural pouch cyst in a 16-day-old Warmblood foal presenting with dysphagia. Endoscopic examination revealed a cyst protruding into the pharyngeal vault which was causing dysfunction of the pharynx and subsequent dysphagia. Surgical drainage in the pharynx was established by a transendoscopic fenestration of the cyst using a diode laser. The foal presented resolution of dysphagia and no recurrence 12 months following treatment. Foals with persistent dysphagia should receive a through endoscopic examination of the upper airways including the guttural pouches. In this case, the diagnosis and the surgical treatment of a guttural pouch canal cyst were successfully performed using a minimally invasive endoscopic approach.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37709181/