AVA Conference Adelaide 2016

During normal breathing, very little audible sound is generated by the horse, especially during inspiration. However, obstructive conditions of the upper respiratory tract may result in abnormal sounds being produced as a result of air turbulence and vibration of the different collapsing structures within the airway. It has been proposed that the nature of the sound together with other information such as the time in the respiratory cycle that it occurs and whether the noise is intermittent or continuous may be helpful in diagnosing the cause of the condition. Indeed it is evident that, in practice, a diagnosis is often made on the grounds of the clinical history and the respiratory sounds produced. However, evaluation of respiratory sounds by ear may be difficult because of observer location (resulting in poor transfer of sound to the ear or superimposition of extraneous noise), limitations of hearing acuity and limitations imposed in differentiating between the sounds associated with different conditions. This presentation will cover the different sounds produced by the exercising horse and discuss their clinical significance