The added value of bronchoalveolar lavage for horses with respiratory disorders and the follow-up of horses with respiratory disease: a retrospective study

Abstract

Objective – The purpose of this study is to evaluate the added value of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) when it is in combination with clinical examination, endoscopy and a pulmonary function test in horses with respiratory disorders and to determine the outcome of horses with respiratory disease with regard to performance and recurrence of symptoms.

Study design – Retrospective

Hypothesis – In this study, the following two research hypotheses are examined. H1: The prognosis for RAO-prone horses is not as good as the prognosis for horses with other respiratory diseases. RAO-prone horses suffer more frequently from the recurrence of symptoms. H2: BAL is of added value in the diagnosis of respiratory disease.

Animals – 70 client-owned horses with a history of respiratory disease.

Methods – To evaluate the condition of the horses with respiratory disease after they had been treated, owners were asked to fill in a standardized questionnaire about the performance and health status of their horses with a history of respiratory symptoms. To evaluate the added value of BAL, equine internal medicine specialists were contacted and asked to fill in a written questionnaire with cases about how they would diagnose different respiratory diseases in horses with symptoms of respiratory problems. Special attention was paid to the following question: Would the diagnosis have been different if the clinical examination, endoscopy and pulmonary function test had been combined with a BAL.

Results and conclusions– RAO-prone horses did not suffer more frequently from recurrent airway problems compared to horses with respiratory diseases other than RAO. Further, BAL is of added value in diagnosing horses with respiratory disease and should not be omitted from the examination. _____________________________________

Abbreviations – BAL, bronchoalveolar lavage; RAO, Recurrent Airway Obstruction; COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; EIPH, Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage; IAD, Inflammatory Airway Disease