Assessment of survey radiography as a method of diagnosing bilateral laryngeal paralysis in dogs

Chloe Touzet, Harriet Hahn, Eymeric Gomes, Camille Bismuth, Kevin Le Boedec

Background: The gold standard for diagnosing laryngeal paralysis in dogs is laryngoscopy under light anesthesia. This study aimed to determine whether a radiographic assessment of the larynx could be used as a non-invasive screening tool for diagnosing laryngeal paralysis in non-sedated animals.

Study: This was a prospective analytical cross-sectional study that evaluated the laryngeal ventricles of 18 dogs with bilateral laryngeal paralysis and 25 non-sedated dogs with no respiratory abnormality using right lateral radiography of the larynx.

Methods: Three observers measured the ratios of the maximal ventricular length and surface to the body length of the third cervical vertebra (MVL/LC3 and VS/LC3, respectively). They also subjectively assessed the ventricular shape as either normal or rounded.

Results: The most accurate criterion was found to be MVL/LC3. Two thresholds of clinical interest were set for MVL/LC3; bilateral laryngeal paralysis was very unlikely for values < 0.3 and very likely for values > 0.5.

 Limitations: The study population was biased because most dogs that underwent laryngoscopic exploration presented marked clinical signs and advanced disease. The conclusions of this study apply solely to bilateral paralysis in animals presenting with evocative clinical signs and higher grades of paralysis.

Conclusions: The findings of this study support the use of lateral laryngeal radiography as a screening tool for diagnosing bilateral laryngeal paralysis. However, further diagnostic tests remain required if MVL/LC3 lies between these threshold values or if clinically indicated. Further studies are warranted to explore the use of laryngeal radiography in unilateral paralysis and other laryngeal or oropharyngeal diseases.

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