RESECTION OF THE LATERAL CARTILAGE. 



197 



entire foot up to the fetlock joint thoroughly cleansed with 

 brush, soap, creolin or sublimate solution and 50 per cent, 

 alcohol. The fetlock and pastern are carefully wrapped in 

 a towel saturated with sublimate solution or other disin- 

 fectant. The hoof should be similarly wrapped except the 

 operative area and every precaution taken against the 

 transfer of infecting material from neighboring parts into 

 the wound. The elevator or long bone chisel is then inserted 

 beneath the lowest part of the semi-circular piece of horn 

 which has been isolated, the horn is elevated from the 

 sensitive structures somewhat, grasped with the heavy for- 

 ceps and carefully loosened from the sensitive parts by 

 drawing upward parallel to the laminae until the coronary 

 band is reached and the traction is then directed backwards 

 toward the heel, separating the wall from the coronary 

 papillae and keraphyllous tissue. Care is to be taken here 

 to avoid lacerating the underlying tissues, especially when 

 the traction is first directed backwards. If the soft tissues 

 threaten to tear this should be arrested by the timely use of 

 the scalpel or sage knife as conditions may suggest. 



After the coronary band has been smoothed with the 

 scissors, make two perpendicular incisions through the skin 

 and coronary band, one behind the anterior and the other in 

 front of the posterior border of the groove in the horn and 

 connect the two by means of a semi-circular incision in the 

 sensitive laminae. This U-shaped incision should be so 

 made that between it and the horny wall there is left an 

 area of sensitive laminae i to 2 cm. wide, in order that there 

 may be sufficient room in the soft tissues for the application 

 of the sutures, as shown in Fig. 2. The lines of incision 

 through the coronary band should be so located as to in- 

 clude between them the entire lateral cartilage. 



The isolated flap is now dissected closely against the os 

 pedis and its ala and from the lateral surface of the carti- 

 lage, the operator lifting the flap with forceps or tenaculum. 



