EXOSTOSIS. 483 
ostosis or sidebones on both sides. The patient must be left to rest one 
month to six weeks, and the senseless foot must be watched for the 
traumatic lesions that may occur in it. If the foot affected with exostosis 
is the seat of acute symptoms, neurotomy is to be postponed until these 
have subsided. 
Renault in 1831 already mentioned the advantages of this neurotomy. 
Rey says he has used it often and obtained many satisfactory results with 
it (1867). Yet its use did not spread. It was accused of promoting soft- 
ening of tendons (Goubaux), producing slough of the foot. In 1881-83 
Nocard rehabilitated its use. He obtained many successes with it and never 
had an accident. Yet, he performed it on both sides, taking all necessary 
precaution ; such as: operate on legs free from acute inflammation of the 
feet, give the animal from five to six weeks of rest afterward, remove only 
a short piece of nerve, about one centimeter, so as to obtain as quick as 
possible nervous regeneration, which returns to the leg a portion of its 
sensibility. 
Many: practitioners, Trasbot, Benjamin, Jacoulet among them, have 
been less fortunate. With them, high and double neurotomy has been 
followed with diffuse gangrenous inflammation and slough of the hoof. 
Even if performed on one side, it has not been entirely harmless. It is 
true, these accidents are exceptional; and the fact must not be lost sight 
of that the operation is performed only on patients that have resisted 
all treatments and were useless. Therefore, notwithstanding the compli- 
cation of sloughings of the foot with which the operation is credited, 
we never have hesitation in performing it for large unilateral exostosis, 
rather than to lose time with useless cauterization. 
Let us add that contraction of the heels, which so frequently compli- 
cates the disease, often disappears after a few months, through the free 
function of the extremity. Nocard and Mollereau have shown that after 
the operation, the side of the exostosis sometimes diminishes in large pro- 
portions. ' In a horse treated by them, the bony tumor had, after six 
months, lost more than half its dimensions. 
High, single or double neurotomy, is not the only one that can be used. 
Peters, Goldmann, Blanchard have obtained good results with median 
neurotomy. Sensibility is not abolished in the external half of the foot ; 
still, most commonly, lameness subsides. 
With phalangeal exostosis of the hind leg, Aigh or again sciatic neu- 
rotomy is indicated, when firing has failed. ; 
These exostosis sometimes occur upon the anterior and lateral faces of 
the toes of cattle (Cruzel, Faulon). As in the horse, they are due to efforts 
or traumatisms. Generally they are only on one toe, and give rise to 
Jameness, hence their seriousness. 
