140 DIGITAL NEURECTOMY 



Technic. Digital neurectomy may generally be performed 

 on the standing animal, the operative area having first been 

 fully anaesthetized and adrenalin solution added to the local 

 anaesthetic in order to control hemorrhage, a twitch applied 

 to the upper lip and the affected foot held up by an assistant. 

 If necessary because of restlessness of the animal or inex- 

 perience of the operator, .confine on the operating table or 

 cast the animal and apply the extension splint to the foot 

 to be operated on as shown in Fig. 49, page 130, except that 

 the lower binding cords rest on the metacarpus instead of 

 the pastern. 



Extending downward from the fetlock joint toward the 

 coronet, between the posterior border of the first phalanx 

 and the anterior border of the flexor tendons, there is a slight 

 furrow, at the posterior part of which, close to the external 

 margin of the tendon, lies the Inedian or principal digital 

 nerve accompanied in front by the digital artery, A, anterior 

 to which lies the digital vein, V Immediately behind the 

 nerve and generally lying a trifle deeper, is quite commonly 

 found a second venous trunk of considerable size. Near the 

 middle of the first phalanx the nerve is crossed externally 

 in an oblique direction from above to below and from behind 

 to before by a white ligamentous band, I,, slightly broader 

 than the nerve extending from the base of the ergot of the 

 fetlock to the retrossal process of the pedal bone. This must 

 not be mistaken for the nerve, N, and need not be if it is 

 remembered that the latter is accompanied on the same plane 

 and in a like direction by the satellite artery. A, and vein, 

 V, enclosed with it in a fibrous sheath. At the uppermost 

 part of the first phalanx the nerve lies in front of this liga- 

 ment, a short distance inferiorly it passes beneath it, while 

 from the middle of the pastern downward the nerve lies 

 behind the ligament. 



The operation is practicable at any point over the line of 

 the nerve from the top to the bottom of the shaved area in 



