VAGINAL OVARIOTOMY IN THE MARE 107 



method, the accident is to be prevented by being careful to 

 push the vagina down away from the rectum and hold it 

 away while the incision is being made. If the wound in the 

 rectum passes through the pelvic connective tissue behind 

 the peritoneum, it is of little consequence, but the opera- 

 tion should be abandoned ; if the bowel is opened into the 

 peritoneal cavity, the accident is generally fatal. The acci- 

 dent is not necessarily fatal. The vaginal incision may be 

 enlarged and the wounded portion of the rectum drawn out 

 through the vulva. The wound may then be closed by 

 sutures. 



Wounding of the iliac arteries, which generally produces 

 prompt death from hemorrhage, results from the incision 

 being made upward instead of forward when the vagina is 

 "ballooned" or from a failure to hold the roof of the 

 vagina down and away from the part while makiug the in- 

 cision in the flaccid organ as is the case with the recumbent 

 animal under anaesthesia, It is most likely to, occur with 

 timid operators who become nervous, especially when the 

 vagina does not ' ' balloon ' ' promptly or the mare is not 

 well secured. The accident' is wholly unnecessary if the 

 operator will await the "ballooning" in the first operation^ 

 while by the second method it is prevented by proper care 

 in holding the vagina downward and forward during the 

 incision. When it has occurred, it is generally beyond 

 remedy though in some cases the prompt intravenous injec- 

 tion of adrenalin chloride may stay the hemorrhage and 

 save the life of the patient. 



Wounding of tlie uterus may occur when the incision is 

 directed downward and may greatly embarrass the operator 

 and confuse him because his fingers or hand may pass 

 through the incision into the uterine cavity. It is to be 

 avoided in the first operation (without anaesthesia) by care- 

 fully directing the incision straight forward. When the 

 accident occurs it is of little consequence beyond the em- 



