RESECTION OF THE LATERAL CARTILAGE 163 



through the coronary band should be so located as to in- 

 clude between them the entire lateral cartilage. 



The isolated flap is now dissected closely against the os 

 pedis and its ala and from the lateral surface of the carti- 

 lage, the operator lifting the flap with forceps or tenaculum. 

 Above the cartilage toward the fetlock the operator must 

 keep the fingers of one hand against the external skin in 

 order to avoid cutting through it or thinning it too much. 

 The flap is held turned upward by an assistant or a strong 

 suture is passed through it and turning it upward, the 

 suture ends are carried around the pastern and tied. 



As a rule there is now seen a prominent, greenish colored, 

 necrotic piece of cartilage surrounded by brownish red 

 masses of granulations. By means of an incision through 

 the cartilage parallel to the long axis of the foot, divide it 

 into anterior and posterior halves and extirpate the latter 

 first by dissecting it out on the inner side from the para- 

 chondral tissue with the sage knife. Begin the excLsion of 

 the cartilage by engaging the supero-anterior angle of the 

 posterior half with the tenaculum and, exerting moderate 

 traction, dissect it away from the underlying tissues first 

 along the line of the dividing incision down to the base and 

 then cut backward toward the heel cutting the cartilage 

 away from the bone with which it is continuous. The 

 point of the knife must be consta7itly directed against the 

 cartilage. 



Since the innersurface of the anterior half of the cartilage 

 lies immediately against the capsular ligament of the corono- 

 pedal articulation, the joint should be sharply extended by 

 having an assistant seize the toe and force it forward. By 

 this means the capsular ligament is drawn away from the 

 cartilage during its extirpation. 



The anterior half of the cartilage, k, is then removed in 

 the same way, except with the greatest possible care to 

 avoid puncturing the corono-pedal articulation. The chief 

 precaution is to di.ssect only with the point of the sage knife, 



