Lasering the soft palate of horses for treating dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) causes scarring but does not "stiffen" the palate as hypothesized, reported Kira Alkabes, DVM, from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University.

DDSP is a common cause of respiratory noise and exercise intolerance in athletic horses. It results from an abnormal deviation of the palate (the roof of the mouth) in an upward direction that blocks the flow of air in the horse's nasal passages.

"Various procedures have been developed to treat DDSP in horses such as sternohyoideus and sternothyroideus myectomy, sternothyroideus tenectomy, staphlectomy, oral palatopharyngoplasty, epiglottic augmentation, largyngeal tie forward, and laser palatoplasty," explained Alkabes.

Laser palatoplasty is thought to cause scarring which will "stiffen" the soft palate. These stiffer palates are thought to be less likely to displace during exercise; however, little data is available supporting this theory