196 BOVINE OBSTETKICS 



rotate completely ; after partial discharge of the foetal waters 

 and while the fore legs pass into the pelvic canal, the hydro- 

 cephalus lies laterally or sinks down between the anterior 

 limbs. On exploration, the strongly distended head is not 

 always recognized immediately as such, as it fluctuates on 

 pressure. A careful examination soon explains matters. 



Treatment. — Whenever possible, the head should be placed 

 upon the fore legs. For this purpose the calf is pushed back 

 into the uterus, the inferior maxilla is grasped with the hand, 

 or corded and drawn. 



After the normal presentation has been established, the 

 head is fixed as mentioned above, and a long, deep incision is 

 made with the sliding bistoury along the suture of the cranial 

 bones (Pontanelle). It is impossible to split the head without 

 fixing it, as it recedes from the pressure of the knife. After 

 the incision, a serous fluid is evacuated, while in many cases 

 the dimensions of the skull remain the same. The fragile 

 plate of bone underlying a thin skin can be crushed by the 

 hand. With the head in the vagina, the cranial bones can be 

 readily, caved in by placing the hand between the head and 

 upper vaginal wall and pulling on the fore legs. Some advise 

 to remove the head with the chain saw, after it is firmly fixed, 

 so that decapitation occurs in the region of the atlas. Should 

 it be impossible to extract the foetus as a whole after incising 

 and crashing the cranial bones (cephalotripsia), the subcu- 

 taneous removal of one or both fore legs is the easiest method. 

 After that the hydrocephalus can be drawn into the parturient 

 passage. 



Deneubourg passes a long hook into the mouth and 

 attempts to destroy the floor of the cranial cavity. From here 

 strong traction on the hook shall destroy the base of the 

 cranium and evacuate the fluid. 



Hydrocephalus is mostly seen in the anterior presentation. 

 In the posterior presentation (Lassartesse) the condition is 

 frequently only recognized after partial embryotomy. Deneu- 

 bourg describes a case, where twin calves with hydrocephalus 

 and both in the posterior presentation were born. 



