Effects of stylopharyngeus muscle dysfunction on the nasopharynx in exercising horses

Nasopharyngeal collapse has been observed in horses as a potential cause of exercise intolerance and upper respiratory noise. No treatment is currently available and affected horses are often retired from performance.

To determine the effect of bilateral glossopharyngeal nerve block and stylopharyngeus muscle dysfunction on nasopharyngeal function and airway pressures in exercising horses.

Endoscopic examinations were performed on horses at rest and while running on a treadmill at speeds corresponding to HRmax50, HRmax75 and HRmax, with upper airway pressures measured with and without bilateral glossopharyngeal nerve block.

Bilateral glossopharyngeal nerve block caused stylopharyngeus muscle dysfunction and dorsal nasopharyngeal collapse in all horses. Peak inspiratory upper airway pressure was significantly (P = 0.0069) more negative at all speeds and respiratory frequency was lower (P = 0.017) in horses with bilateral glossopharyngeal nerve block and stylopharyngeus muscle dysfunction compared to control values.

Bilateral glossopharyngeal nerve anaesthesia produced stylopharyngeus muscle dysfunction, dorsal pharyngeal collapse and airway obstruction in all horses.

The stylopharyngeus muscle is probably an important nasopharyngeal dilating muscle in horses and dysfunction of this muscle may be implicated in clinical cases of dorsal nasopharyngeal collapse. Before this information can be clinically useful, further research on the possible aetiology of stylopharyngeus dysfunction and dysfunction of other muscles that dilate the dorsal and lateral walls of the nasopharynx in horses is needed.