Nasopharyngeal, Pharyngeal, & Brachycephalic Airway Diseases Flashcards
What is the function of the nasopharynx? How does it do this?
breathing and swallowing
- closes completely for swallowing to protect nasal airways from aspiration of food or fluids
- opens for nasal breathing
What 3 structures does the nasopharynx connect?
- nasal passage
- eustachian tube
- oral passages
What are the 3 parts of the pharynx?
- nasopharynx - opens into eustachian tubes
- oropharynx - opens into mouth
- laryngopharynx - opens into larynx and esophagus
What are 3 causes of abnormalities of the pharyngeal phase of swallowing?
- pharyngeal weakness due to neuropathies or myopathies
- pharyngeal tumors or foreign bodies
- obstruction of the upper esophageal sphincter secondary to hypertrophy of cricopharyngeus
What is essential to allow passage of food boluses into the esophagus?
synchrony between constriction of the pharyngeal muscles and relaxation of the cricopharyngeus
What are some hereditary and acquired causes of nasopharyngeal disease?
HEREDITARY: stricture, lack of lumen/obstruction, stenosis
ACQUIRED: trauma, masses
What are 7 clinical manifestations of nasopharyngeal disease?
- difficult, noisy, and stertorous breathing
- reverse sneezing
- sneezing
- nasal discharge
- expiratory cheek puff
- retching due to irritation of the back of the throat
- vestibular signs (E tube): head tilt, nystagmus, Horner’s
What diagnostics are used for nasopharyngeal disease?
- X-ray using water-based contrast agents in nares if there is no CT
- CT/MRI
- rhinoscopy
- blind biopsy
- nasal flush/culture
What is classically found with stertor?
upper airway obstruction and serous or mucopurulent nasal discharge
In what animals are nasopharyngeal polyps most common? What causes it?
young cats less than 5 years old
nasopharyngeal mass forms from chronic inflammation, where it begins in the middle ear (on bulla) and passes down the Eustachian tube or back of the throat
What is the classical sign of nasopharyngeal polyps? What else is commonly seen?
inspiratory stridor
- voice change
- nasal discharge and sneezing
- vestibular signs if ear is involved
How are nasopharyngeal polyps treated?
traction method of removal - soft palate is retracted rostrally with a spay hook, the polyp is grasped with curved mosquito, and slow, steady traction is applied until the polyp releases
Inflammatory aural polyp:
How are aural polyps treated?
- external ear canal traction is applied and an otoscopy is performed to identify the polyp location
- otoscope is removed and curved mosquitoes are placed in the ear to blindly grasp the polyp, and steady traction is applied until the polyp releases
What are 5 indications for ventral bulla osteotomy for polyp removal?
- polyp has recurred following manual traction
- polyp was incompletely removed
- client wants the pet to undergo only one procedure with the best possible success rate
- marked radiographic changes have occurred in the bulla
- polyp extends into the external ear canal
(some cats will still respond to traction and medical therapy)
What benign and malignant neoplasias are most common in the nasopharynx?
BENIGN - inflammatory polyps
MALIGNANT - lymphoma
What are the 4 classical anatomies in brachycephalic airway syndrome?
- narrowed nostril
- hypertrophy of the nasal turbinates
- extension and outgrowth of the soft palate
- hypertrophy of the tongue
(+/- hypoplastic trachea in Bulldogs)
What are the 3 sad truths of brachycephalic animals?
- tend to die younger more likely due to upper respiratory disease
- owners have habituated to airway dysfunction
- expensive to own and maintain
BAS/BOAS:
What dogs and cats are at risk of BAS/BOAS? What causes this?
- DOGS: English/French Bulldog, Pug, Boston Terrier, Pekingese, Shih-Tzu, Shar-Pei
- CATS: Persians, Himalayan
purely man-made discrete genetic mutation
What 8 malformations are commonly seen with BAS/BOAS?
- stenosis of nares and vestibulum
- malformed and aberrantly growing turbinates and intranasal contact points obstruct the airways
- caudally growing nasopharyngeal meatus and choanae obstruct nasal exit
- larynx collapse, everted laryngeal saccules, obstruction of rima glottis due to thick vocal folds
- small skull
- reduced lumen and increased collapsibility of nasopharynx
- space-occupying structures in the oropharynx (tonsils, tongue)
- hypoplastic trachea, tracheobronchomalacia
How are Pugs’ and Bulldogs’ larynx contribute to BAS/BOAS?
PUGS - collapses due to laryngomalacia with impairment of arytenoid abduction
PUGS and BULLDOGS - obstruction of rima glottis due to everted laryngeal saccules
What breeds with BAS/BOAS most commonly have space-occupying structures in the oropharynx?
Bulldogs and Boxers - enlarged tongue (macroglossia)
- enlarged tonsils common
How are Bulldogs’ and Pugs’ tracheas affected by BAS/BOAS?
BULLDOGS - hypoplastic trachea
PUGS - tracheobronchomalacia