Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horner's syndrome with one-sided voice loss in three cats
By Holland, C T·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·1996·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Horner's syndrome and ipsilateral laryngeal hemiplegia in three cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Three cats were diagnosed with Horner's syndrome, which caused drooping of the eyelid and other symptoms due to neck injuries. During examinations, the vets found that these cats also had laryngeal hemiplegia, meaning one side of their voice box was not functioning properly. Despite this, all three cats were still able to vocalize normally. The injuries to their necks were not always visible until the fur was clipped, highlighting the importance of thorough examinations for neck wounds in cats with these symptoms.
People also search for: cat Horner's syndrome symptoms · cat neck injury treatment · laryngeal hemiplegia in cats
Abstract
Horner's syndrome is described in three cats associated with wounds to the ventrolateral neck. In each case, ipsilateral laryngeal hemiplegia was observed on laryngoscopy. This finding provided strong evidence to support a diagnosis of second order Horner's syndrome due to disruption of the cervical sympathetic trunk, as motor fibres innervating laryngeal abductors also traverse the neck; both as descending fibres within the contiguous cervical vagus and as ascending fibres within the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Notably, the ability to vocalise was unimpaired in all cases and, in two cats, neck wounds were not apparent until the neck had been clipped and closely examined. These findings indicate that assessment of laryngeal function is of value when localising the site of the neural defect responsible for selected cases of second order Horner's syndrome.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8887205/