54 



THE SURGICAL ANATOMY OF THE HORSE 



CESOPHAGOTOMY 



This is the operation of making an opening into the a'sophagus 

 from without. 



The seat of operation depends upon the position of the obstruction, 

 for the cutaneous incision should be made immediately over the latter 

 and preferably on the left side of the neck. {See Plate XHI. A and B). 



Having incised the skin and panniculus muscle great care should be 

 taken to avoid injury to the jugular vein, and also the carotid artery and 

 the nerves which accompany it. The oesophagus feels like a strip of 

 soft muscle with a thickened core internally. 



It should be liberated from the surrounding structures by breaking 

 down the prolongation between them of the deep cervical fascia. 

 Having done this the opening into the oesophagus may now be made by 

 means of a longitudinal incision, the length of which depends upon the 

 size of the obstruction, it should be long enough to admit of the removal 

 of the latter. The closure of the wound in the oesophageal wall is the 

 most important part of the whole operation. The wall of the oesophagus 

 should be sutured in layers. In the mucous layer, Lemberfs Interrupted 

 Sutures should be inserted. The slit edges of this layer should not 

 be brought into apposition, but should curve into the lumen of the 

 oesophagus, and the sutures should only be passed through the external 

 half of the thickness of the layer sutured. 



The muscular and cutaneous layers are sutured separately. 



THE SALIVARY GLANDS 



The Parotid Gland. — This is the largest of the salivary glands, and it 

 is placed below the base of the conchal cartilage of the ear, occupying the 

 area which is bounded posteriorly by the edge of the wing of the atlas 

 and anteriorly by the posterior border of the vertical ramus of the 

 inferior maxilla. 



