ABSTRACT
A study was conducted over a 12 month period to assess the accuracy of the 'slap test' in the diagnosis of laryngeal adductor myopathy. The thoraco-laryngeal reflexes of 15 horses with no clinical signs of idiopathic laryngeal hemiplegia (ILH) were recorded using a video-endoscope. These 'slap test' responses were examined independently by 3 assessors. The horses were subsequently subjected to euthanasia and samples taken from the cricoarytenoideus lateralis (CAL) muscles for histopathological examination and assessment of denervation atrophy. Despite normal adductory responses, moderate to severe atrophy of the left CAL muscles was seen in 5 horses. The remaining horses had varying degrees of adductor myopathy, invariably worse in the left side of the larynx. The 'slap test' as performed in this study was therefore unable to differentiate between horses with moderate to severe muscle changes and those without, making it useless as a diagnostic test for adductor myopathy. The reason for the preservation in adductor function despite advanced histological atrophy of the muscle may lie in the degree of reinnervation found in the muscles.
Subject(s)
Horse Diseases/diagnosis , Laryngeal Muscles/pathology , Reflex , Vocal Cord Paralysis/veterinary , Animals , Atrophy , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Horse Diseases/pathology , Horse Diseases/physiopathology , Horses , Laryngeal Muscles/physiopathology , Laryngoscopy/veterinary , Videotape Recording , Vocal Cord Paralysis/diagnosis , Vocal Cord Paralysis/pathology , Vocal Cord Paralysis/physiopathologyABSTRACT
A study was conducted over a 12 month period to assess the specificity and sensitivity of the 'slap test', using endoscopic evaluation, in the detection of cervical spinal cord and caudal brainstem lesions in horses. Fifteen ataxic horses were subjected to the 'slap test' and subsequently examined post mortem. Twelve out of the 15 had histopathological lesions consistent with their clinical signs. Thirteen horses with no history of neurological dysfunction and no histopathological evidence of cervical spinal cord or brainstem disease were used as controls. The laryngeal adductory responses exhibited by all horses were filmed and later scored independently by 3 assessors. The proportion of animals diagnosed with cervical spinal cord and/or brainstem disease, defined by histopathological criteria, was found to be statistically similar to the proportion with abnormal 'slap test' responses, using the McNemar chi-Square test. Despite statistical significance between proportions, sensitivity of the 'slap test' was low, 50% for the left side on both days and 58% for the right side. Specificity was higher, 69% (Day 1) and 75% (Day 2) for the left side and 75% (Day 1) and 69% (Day 2) for the right side. In contrast to this, conventional neurological examination was found to be 100% sensitive and 81% specific in the detection of lesions of histopathological significance in the cervical spinal cord/caudal brainstem. Agreement between scores for the 'slap test' from the same assessor on different days was good, with values for kappa of 0.59 to 0.85. In contrast, agreement between assessors on the 'slap test' score was poor, with kappa 0.35.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Subject(s)
Brain Diseases/veterinary , Brain Stem/pathology , Horse Diseases/diagnosis , Reflex , Spinal Cord Diseases/veterinary , Animals , Brain Diseases/diagnosis , Brain Diseases/physiopathology , Chi-Square Distribution , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Female , Horse Diseases/physiopathology , Horses , Laryngeal Muscles/physiopathology , Laryngoscopy/veterinary , Male , Predictive Value of Tests , Reproducibility of Results , Single-Blind Method , Spinal Cord/pathology , Spinal Cord/physiopathology , Spinal Cord Diseases/diagnosis , Spinal Cord Diseases/physiopathology , Videotape RecordingABSTRACT
A haemangiosarcoma in a horse resulted in ataxia affecting all four legs, a low head carriage and a reluctance to flex the neck. Ancillary diagnostic procedures included the analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, standing lateral cervical radiographs and a myelogram. Post mortem a tumour was found which involved the body of the second cervical vertebra and the associated hypaxial muscles, with secondary intravertebral extradural infiltration and focal compressive myelopathy. A histological examination showed that the tumour was a haemangiosarcoma.
Subject(s)
Ataxia/veterinary , Cervical Vertebrae , Hemangiosarcoma/veterinary , Horse Diseases/diagnosis , Spinal Neoplasms/veterinary , Animals , Ataxia/etiology , Autopsy/veterinary , Hemangiosarcoma/complications , Hemangiosarcoma/diagnosis , Horses , Male , New York , Spinal Neoplasms/complications , Spinal Neoplasms/diagnosisABSTRACT
A diaphragmatic hernia was found in a pre-partum dairy heifer that was exhibiting signs of respiratory disease. Ruminal tympany was included in the history although this was not a feature of the disease on admission. Diagnosis was made by auscultation and confirmed by radiology and during elective Caesarean section to remove the fetus.
