84 THE SURGICAL ANATOMY OF THE HORSE 



elbow, but there is no swelling at the joint or in its immediate neigh- 

 bourhood. It is a progressive disease. The lesion is permanent, and 

 there is no remedial treatment for it. 



CAPPED ELBOW 



This is the term applied to an enlargement which appears at the 

 point of the elbow near the summit of the olecranon process of the 

 ulna. Other terms applied to the affection are elbow abscess, elbow 

 tumour, shoe boil, &c. It is also frequently termed hygroma of the 

 elbow, but strictly speaking the condition is not always a hygroma. 



There is usually present on the summit of the olecranon process a 

 small ovoid synovial bursa, and Moller treats the condition of capped 

 elbow as an inflammation of this bursa and its surrounding structures. 

 According to Macqueen, however, in the majority of cases the condition 

 is not a bursitis, and the bursa itself is not affected. 



The swelling may be recent or chronic, and either soft and fluctuat- 

 ing or hard and tumour-like, but whatever its nature, it is the result of 

 a bruising of the part. Frequently the bruise is caused by the shoe of 

 the same limb, particularly the calkin of the inner branch, but 

 occasionally the part is injured by the toe of the hind shoe when 

 the animal is lying down. When bedding material is scarce, the 

 condition may be brought about by the part being crushed against the 

 hard floor. 



Well-bred animals not infrequently strike the part in their endeavours 

 to dislodge flies during the hot summer months. It may sometimes be 

 contracted when standing in slings for lengthy periods, as in cases of 

 fractured pelvis, &c. 



The swelling at first may not be larger than a hen's egg, and is usually 

 soft and fluctuating. It may be empty, or contain a quantity of serous 

 fluid tinged with extravasated blood. In old cases the skin is usually 



