Disturbances observed by endoscopic examination of the upper respiratory airway tract in horses

Abstract

The upper respiratory airways of 367 horses that were healthy but had poor performance in races were examined by endoscope. Disturbances were observed in the following percentages: nasopharyngeal follicular hyperplasia 65.49%, entrapment of the epiglottis 12.3%, larve of Rhinoestrus equi 13.6%, anomalia of the epiglottis 0.27%, neoplasm of the nasopharynx and larynx 87%, left pharyngeal hemiplegia 1.63%, deformation of the nasal bone 0.27% and damaged nasopharynx 0.54%. The aetiology and pathogenesis of these disturbances and their effects on racing performance were investigated.