Dynamic Endoscopy

What is an endoscopy?

It is a diagnostic procedure that involves the use of an endoscope to visually examine internal structures of a horse’s body. An endoscope is a flexible tube equipped with a light and a camera that allows veterinarians to view and assess the horse’s internal organs and structures in real time.

Endoscopy is mainly used to examine the horse’s upper respiratory tract, but can also be used to investigate the urinary and gastrointestinal tract. This procedure is used to examine the nasal cavities, ethmoid, guttural pouches, pharynx, larynx and trachea.

What is a dynamic endoscopy?

A dynamic endoscopy is performed while the horse is exercising, often during regular training or under racing conditions. The horse wears a portable, wireless endoscope system that captures video of the upper airway in real-time as the horse moves.

This examination visualises the upper respiratory tract, especially the pharynx and larynx (horse’s throat) during exercise.

Dynamic endoscopy is essential to diagnose exercise-induced or movement-related airway problems, providing a real time assessment during activity

When should a dynamic endoscopy be performed?

What are the indications to consider this examination?

Respiratory noise during exercise: when a horse produces unsual respiratory sounds, such as whistling, roaring, or gurgling during exercice.

Poor performance: When a horse shows signs of fatigue, decreased stamina, or poor performance during training or competition that cannot be explained by other factors

Some upper respiratory tract abnormalities are not detectable with resting endoscopy, and require visualisation of there structures during exercise.

How does it work?

It is important to replicate the precise conditions in which the discomfort, respiratory noise or poor performance occured so that the cause can be detected during the examination

This means that the exercise depends on the horse's discipline. A show-jumping horse may have to jump with the equipment while a racehorse may have to run on the racetrack

The endoscopy is performed by inserting a camera (the endoscope) through the nose up to the horse’s throat. The endoscope is then kept in place by a special bridle, and the images recorded by the camera are directly transmitted on a remote screen. This allows the vets to visualize the pharynx and larynx live during exercise.

At home or in the clinic?

Equitom offers a large riding arena with jumps where you can ride your horse during examination

Our team also offers this examination off site at your stable or training site depending on the needs to replicate the usual training conditions and can go for instance on a racetrack.

Most common pathologies

Cornage (laryngeal hemiplegia): this condition involves the partial or complete paralysis of one side of the larynx, often the left arytenoid cartilage. This results in reduced airflow during exercise.

Instability and/or Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate (DDSP): this condition occurs when the soft palate displaces above the epiglottis during exercise, obstructing the airway and causing respiratory distress.

Pharyngeal collapse: This involves the collapse of the pharyngeal walls during exercise, leading to airway obstruction. It can affect the dorsal, lateral, or ventral pharyngeal walls.

Epiglottic Entrapment: In this condition, the nasopharyngeal walls collapse during exercise, obstructing airflow and causing respiratory noise and distress.

When performing a dynamic endoscopy in horses, several pathologies are commonly identified, particularly those related to exercise-induced or movement-dependent airway dysfunctions.