Laryngeal ultrasound with a tendon probe

Ultrasonography of the equine larynx has been recently described [1]. The technique was developed initially to assist in the diagnosis of arytenoid chondritis and dorsal displacement of the soft palate, although replications of results for the latter have been somewhat disappointing. However, the authors noted marked disparity between the echogenicity of the left and right cricoarytenoideus lateralis muscle (CALM) with clinical signs of recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN). Specifically, they found an increased echogenicity of the left side compared with the right, and this lead them to speculate that sonographic examination of the CALM might prove to be a sensitive diagnostic tool for RLN ...