Trephination versus Minimally Invasive Transnasal Approaches for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Sinus Disease in Horses

Abstract

This retrospective case series aims to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of different treatment options for sinus disease in horses, with a special focus on surgical approaches. The medical records of 25 horses with sinusitis which presented to the equine hospital, Vetmeduni Vienna, between August 2020 and January 2022 were analysed. In 11 cases, conservative treatment by the transnasal endoscopic lavage of the affected sinuses through the sinonasal channel or through a developed, pre-existing sinonasal fistula was performed. In the remaining 14 cases, openings into the sinus for subsequent lavage were surgically created either via classical trephination/bone flaps (8) or by transnasal endoscopically guided minimally invasive approaches (8). In some cases (2), a combination of classical extra-nasal and minimally invasive transnasal approaches was required. The minimally invasive techniques used were comprised of laser surgery (3), electrosurgery (3) and balloon sinoplasty (2). The sinusitis and underlying diseases were successfully treated in all of the horses until hospital discharge. Long-term follow-up could be obtained only from a small number of patients due to the temporal proximity (the study began two years ago) to their initial discharge from the hospital, but they showed the continuous resolution of clinical signs in all cases in which follow up data were available. The results of this case series indicate that if surgical intervention is required, minimally invasive techniques appear to be a promising and potentially cheaper alternative to classical extra-nasal approaches for the treatment of sinus disease in selected cases. In the future, the use of these techniques should be considered more commonly with the broader availability of improved endoscopes and instruments. Additionally, by using small-diameter endoscopes, the need for any surgical intervention might be significantly reduced in many cases.