Gutteral Pouch
There are two guttural pouches on the left and the right hand side of the head. They are air-filled structures that open into the pharynx via slit-like openings called ostia.
The role of the guttural pouches is to maintain air pressure by connecting the auditory tube and the pharynx and to cool blood before it reaches the brain as some arteries and nerves run through the pouches.
Guttural pouch tympany
This condition usually occurs in foals and is the build up of air in the guttural pouches due to a blockage of the ostia. Foals can be born with this blockage, congenital, or it can be caused by swelling.
Treatment
The treatment is to open the wall between the two guttural pouches surgically to equalise the pressure. This is not as easy if both pouches are affected and, therefore, the prognosis is poor in these cases.
Guttural pouch empyema
This condition is infection within the guttural pouches causing the build up of fluid. The signs are a nasal discharge, increased respiratory rate, a respiratory noise and an increase in the size of lymph nodes.
Diagnosis
Radiographs show the presence of fluid within the pouches and endoscopy can be used to visualise directly into the pouches.
Treatment
The treatment is to drain the guttural pouches and to flush them daily over the course of a few days using a catheter that remains in the pouch.
Guttural pouch mycosis
This condition is due to a fungal infection where plaques form over the arteries within the guttural pouches and eat away at them causing massive bleeding usually out of one nostril. Guttural pouch mycosis is extremely severe and even life-threatening due to the huge volume of blood that can be lost.
Treatment
The treatment is to tie off the affected artery then to wash the pouch out with anti-fungal drugs.