38 VETERINARY SURGICAL OPERATIONS 



Sometimes it is thought advisable to crush the vessels at 

 two points some little distance apart. The crushing instru- 

 ment is first made to crush the structure without entirely 

 dividing it, at a point one inch or Jess above the point of abla- 

 tion, and then dropped lower down to effect a complete divis- 

 ion. This method assures more perfect haemostasis, in ves- 

 sels deprived of their normal haemostatic propensities from 

 disease of their walls or the tissues conveying them. 



Aspiration. 



DEFINITION. — Aspiration is the surgical abstraction 

 of fluids or gases from natural cavities, wounds or organs, by 

 means of a canula. The force required to cause the evacua- 

 tion may be internal pressure, tension, siphonage or artificial 

 suction. 



INDICATIONS. — The indications for aspiration in vet- 

 erinary surgery are legion. It is indeed frequent that fluids 

 and gases accumulate in this or that part of the organism to 

 the detriment of the health or soundness of the individual. 

 Sometimes the large splanchnic cavities become flooded with 

 transudates or exudates in sufficient quantities to render pru- 

 dent their abstraction, as in the case of hydrothorax or 

 ascites. At other times the synovial sacs supporting the 

 synovial membranes engaged in the secretion of the synovia 

 necessary to lubricate the great tendon sheaths, the various 

 bursas, or certain diarthros.es, become so over-filled as to pro- 

 duce undesirable if not harmful blemishes, which may be 

 modified and often entirely cured by timely aspiration of their 

 contents. Cysts, serous sacs, sanguineous sacs, and even 

 abscesses under certain conditions, may be thus evacuated, 

 in the effort to prevent the inevitable complications that al- 

 ways follow free incision. Aspiration is also very valuable 

 as a diagnostic expedient. Exploratory aspirations are al- 

 ways justified when other diagnostic methods fail to reveal 

 the exact nature of abnormal fluid accumulations. Hydro- 

 thorax is thus differentiated from chronic solidification of the 

 lung; ascites from abdominal tumors, cysts from aneurisms; 

 and purulent from non-purulent accumulations. Whilst the 

 usual physical examination and the history are usually suffi- 

 cient to make such differentiations, certain confusing feat- 

 ures may sometimes present themselves and thus necessitate 

 an exploratory puncture to disclose their precise characteris- 

 tics. Intestinal gases accumulated in sufficient quantities to 

 threaten life and which can not be otherwise evacuated, are 



