This summer is proving to be whirlwind. I'm sure you all feel the same. We had a couple of emergencies this week that set my sleep schedule off and so I was basically falling into bed every time I was in range of this laptop.
Last week we had some ventriculocordectomies that I got the chance to assist. Below, I am scrubbing for the incision after the shave. The incision is continued through the sternothyrohyoideus and through the cricothyroid cartilage.
The scope is used to guide the rest of the surgery.
Next, the saccules are pulled out, clamped, and transected. If they come out super easy, it means the saccule has been everted multiple times as the horse was struggling to get air because of the left laryngeal hemiplagia.
Below, the first picture is the saccule being everted by a roaring bur. Forceps are then placed over the exposed mucosa to prevent slipping of the saccule back into the ventricle. They are then transected (not shown).
The vocal cords are also removed. Both removals are performed on either side when correcting left laryngeal hemiplagia. If not, the saccule on the right side could still evert, causing the same turbulence we are trying to correct.
The incision is left open because the airway is not a sterile environment anyways. It heals from the inside out. The horses eat wet hay on the ground or mashes for the first week or so.
The scar tissue formed will add rigidity to the paralyzed larynx and will remove turbulent airway sounds.
And, here is the lovely Dr. Brown himself. Surgery is best done in socks and crocks. ;)
Another emergency as I sit here and try to write this!
Peace Friends!
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