34th Annual Scientific Meeting proceedings

Objectives:

Laryngeal collapse (LC) is a progressive condition that may result in complete occlusion of the upper airway. To date none of the published surgical techniques has been found to be effective in managing cases of severe LC in dogs. We developed a technique that uses a stent to restore the normal morphology of the cricoid cartilage in dogs with severe LC.

The aims of this case series was to review the short and long-term outcomes of dogs with severe laryngeal collapse treated with a cricoid stent.

Methods:

In all cases, a detailed history was taken and the diagnostic evaluation included a complete physical examination, hematology, biochemistry profile, CT scan of the head and neck, and an oral laryngeal examination. The stage of LC was confirmed before intubation for surgery.

Results:

Long-term outcome was favorable in 16/17 cases which survived the immediate post-operative period, with only one case requiring further surgical intervention. After cricoid stent placement, 9/12 pilot cases and 6/9 elective cases had immediate significant clinical improvement. Three of the pilot cases had severe aspiration pneumonia and were euthanized as they failed to improve postoperatively. One elective case died acutely shortly after recovery. Short-term complications were not recorded in any of the cases.

Conclusions:

This small case series provides evidence for cricoid stent as a suitable option for the management of dogs with severe LC.

The main limitations of our study are the small number of cases and the lack of objective data on the effectiveness of this technique.