AUTHOR=Colberg Valeria T. , Kudej Raymond K. , Moyer Nicole , Peters Joshua A. , Karlin William M. 

TITLE=Evaluation of a caudal midline glossectomy on tongue volume and upper airway cross-sectional areas in brachycephalic dogs: a cadaveric study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1607711

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2025.1607711

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=IntroductionRelative macroglossia may contribute to brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, the pathologic disorder associated with respiratory dysfunction commonly seen in brachycephalic dogs. Recent studies on brachycephalic dogs have demonstrated a relative macroglossia along with reduced air volume in the upper airway compared to non-brachycephalic dogs. Tongue reduction glossectomy may be a surgical option to address upper airway obstruction secondary to macroglossia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a caudal midline glossectomy (CMG) on tongue volume and upper airway cross-sectional areas.MethodsCadaveric brachycephalic dogs (n = 6) were positioned with the tongue retracted and jaw nearly closed. Computed tomography was performed to evaluate tongue volume and cross-sectional areas of tongue, oropharynx, palatal soft tissue and nasopharynx at two levels, the caudal aspect of the hard palate and pterygoid hamulae. A standardized CMG was performed. Positioning and CT scan were repeated.ResultsCMG resulted in a 20% decrease in tongue volume (from 87,546 ± 21,121 to 70,259 ± 17,586 mm3; p < 0.01). CMG resulted in a 20 to 25% decrease in cross-sectional area of the tongue at both hard palate (from 1662 ± 311 to 1339 ± 254 mm2; p < 0.01) and pterygoid hamulae (from 1425 ± 222 to 1041 ± 150 mm2; p < 0.01), and 2 to 3-fold increase in cross-sectional area of the oropharynx at both hard palate (from 226 ± 68 to 595 ± 138 mm2; p < 0.01) and pterygoid hamulae (from 110 ± 64 to 351 ± 37 mm2; p < 0.01).DiscussionThis study provides preliminary guidelines toward the feasibility and potential benefit of CMG in select cases of macroglossia-associated upper airway obstruction.