190 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



fully distended uterus may occur so far forward that the 

 usual spiral folding of the vaginal walls may be wanting. 

 Therefore it may be stated as a law that rectal palpation is 

 essential to a proper determination of the state of the uterus. 

 When the uterus which has undergone torsion is palpated 

 per rectum, it offers certain definite characteristics : 



1. The posterior portion of the uterus can not be clearly 

 palpated, because one of the broad ligaments is tightly 

 stretched across the organ, completely covering it. Far for- 

 ward, in front of the broad ligament, the examiner may di- 

 rectly palpate the gravid uterus and the contained fetus. If 

 the uterus has revolved to the left — that is, if in the begin- 

 ning of the displacement the dorsal wall of the uterus has 

 moved to the left, while the ventral or lower wall moves to 

 the right — the right broad ligament passes over the vagina 

 and uterus to the left, while the left broad ligament passes 

 beneath the vagina and uterus to the right. Both ligaments 

 are tensely stretched. 



2. The chief uterine artery inevitably moves with the 

 broad ligament, and is readily felt. In left torsion, the 

 right uterine artery, tightly stretched, passes over the 

 uterus to the left side, while the right artery is forced 

 down along the pelvic floor and passes beneath the uterus 

 and vagina, to the right. The torsion constitutes a for- 

 midable obstacle to the circulation in the entire genital 

 tract anterior to the turn, causing the arteries to become 

 distended and the pulsation in them to be unusually full 

 and bounding. These findings serve to identify the char- 

 acter of the displacement. Moderate uterine torsion, with- 

 out transverse rupture of the uterus or vagina, recognized 

 in time, warrants a highly favorable prognosis. The chief 

 indication is the rolling process already fully described in 

 the companion volume, Veterinary Obstetrics. 



L. Pelvic Tumors and Calluses 



Occasionally, when examining the genital organs of 

 mares or cows, one finds tumors in the pelvis between the 



