karlskorner

The Stewards at CRC are allowing Trainers to use a Cornell Collar after instructions in it's use. This is a new one to me, what is a Cornell Collar ?

Overlay

I found the following information on the Cornell University website:

"Dorsal displacement of the soft palate (choking down), known as DDSP, is a common cause of respiratory noise and performance impairment among racehorses. When some horses-Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, especially-race at high speeds and breathe heavily, their soft palate (the rear roof of the mouth) moves up and over the epiglottis and partially blocks the airway.

Without understanding why DDSP occurs, veterinarians haven't been able to find a reliable treatment that works more than 60 percent of the time. Recently, however, Norm G. Ducharme, DVM, MSc, Dipl ACVS and his colleagues at Cornell have made an interesting series of discoveries: First, they have isolated a muscle (the thyrohyoid) that is responsible for causing DDSP and can now reliably reproduce and surgically repair palate displacement by cutting and repairing the thyrohyoid muscle. What's more, they can prevent palate displacement by manually holding a horse's voice box while it exercises on the high-speed treadmill.

"We have designed what we are calling a 'Cornell DDSP collar,' which should be able to perform the same function as our hands during exercise," explains Ducharme, who has just received a grant from the Harry M. Zweig Memorial Fund to test and redesign the collar with colleagues Brett Woodie, DVM, MS, Richard P. Hackett, DVM, MS, Dipl ACVS, and Hollis N. Erb, DVM, MS, PhD.

"Hopefully, the external collar will reposition and hold the larynx and hyoid bone (which connects the muscles of the tongue to the muscles of the throat) to prevent the palate from moving over the airway. This repositioning will hopefully prevent exercise-induced DDSP and reduce the need for surgery."

The road to the collar's development, however, has been a rocky and long one. Over the past 50 years, veterinarians have held various theories as to the causes of DDSP and have tried different treatments, accordingly.

"Originally, veterinarians thought the palate itself was abnormal, either weak or elongated," says Ducharme, explaining that the soft palate is the structure that separates the food pathway from the airway. As air pumps in and out of the lungs through the voice box (larynx) above the soft palate, the airflow can catch and lift the palate on exhales so that half or more of the airway is blocked.

Surgery to remove a small section of the tongue (staphylectomy) seems to help about 60 percent of the time; cutting the strap muscles on the lower side of the neck (sternothyroid muscle resection) to prevent the voice box from slipping back and away from the palate also helps about 60 percent of the time. Ironically, performing both procedures, which has became fashionable in the past decade, also only helps about 60 percent of cases. Trainers also use tongue ties on exercising horses in an attempt to prevent palate displacement but this doesn't always work either.

Recent research has confirmed that inflammation of the airway (pharyngitis) can trigger some DDSP cases by damaging the nerve going to the soft palate. This can paralyze the palate and render it no longer able to effectively resist pressure changes in the airway and thereby get moved out of its normal position.

"We now know to look for and treat any inflammation with anti-inflammatory agents first before considering surgery," says Ducharme.

Most horses that develop DDSP, however, do not experience inflammation near the palate nerve. Thus it was a major step forward when Ducharme and his colleagues found that the thyrohyoid muscle (one of the four muscles in the throatlatch area) was critical in controlling the tension and position between the palate and voice box.

With the Zweig grant, the researchers are perfecting the collar's design to be sure it prevents airway obstruction, fits well, is well tolerated, and is easy to use. First they will test the collar on normal horses, then on horses in which the researchers have induced DDSP (by cutting the thyrohyoid muscle) to evaluate whether the collar prevents DDSP in these cases. Last they will test it on horses with naturally occurring DDSP.

The collar could have widespread application for the racing industry for use in training and racing to prevent DDSP.

"Conceivably the collar could be used to 'teach' horses where to place their voice box during exercise training," says Ducharme. "The collar also could play an important role in identifying horses that are the best candidates for surgery, whether the collar is accepted for use during racing or not. We think we are very close to offering a relatively simple, low-cost tack-change design that could have a major impact on the industry."

__________________
Proud sponsor of the upcoming Overlay Publications Parlay Challenge (Ultimate Parlay Challenge Contest 7) (10/6/2010 - 11/14/2010)

karlskorner

Thank you, will put that info with my "thing to watch for". Asked 2 old time Trainers and just got blank stares.

Tom

This might be a cause of some form reversals, eh?

Worth keeping an eye on.

__________________
Just becasue you are happy to see the monkey doens't mean the monkey is happy to see YOU!!

Dave Schwartz

Would it work for sleep apnea?

__________________
Dave Schwartz's World of Horse Racing

HorseStreet.com

Please note my new email address:
DaveSchwReno@Gmail.com

Pace Cap'n

So THAT'S what's wrong with my selections...

Tom

You pick to many "sleepers!"

__________________
Just becasue you are happy to see the monkey doens't mean the monkey is happy to see YOU!!