356 Surgical Diseases and Surgery of the Dog 



In dislocation of the head of the radius, there is a bulging 

 postero-externally, making the region of the articulation look 

 broader than natural. The forearm is flexed with the elbow held 

 immobile, the animal going on three legs. The displaced bone can be 

 plainly felt and if the elbow joint be forcibly extended and flexed a 

 slight resistance is encountered in the parts and the animal exhibits 

 considerable pain. The luxation is reducible and the joint moves 

 freely, but as soon as the animal uses the leg again, it recurs, be- 

 cause the annular ligament, which supports the two bones in place, 

 is ruptured. If the lesion is left to itself, the leg is permanently 

 incapacitated, and is always extremely flexed and carried free of 

 the ground. When both legs are affected, a standing posture is 

 impossible, the animal being forced to sit on its haunches. The 

 prognosis is unfavorable without operative measures, the lacerated 

 annular ligament showing little tendency to heal. 



In the congenital form there is absence of inflammatory phe- 

 nomena and simply deformity which cannot be mistaken. 



Treatment. The prognosis of acquired complete dislocation 

 of the joint is good in recent cases when uncomplicated with frac- 

 ture or extensive rupture of ligaments. It is reduced without much 

 difficulty by extension, flexion, and lateral pressure, but tends to 

 recur rather readily, so that it is imperative to keep the parts for some 

 days in a permanent bandage until repair of the ligaments has taken 

 place. Congenital luxation of the whole joint is seldom amenable 

 to treatment. 



The only possible way to treat radial luxation, whether acquired 

 or of congenital origin is by wiring the bones together in the follow- 

 ing manner: The animal being hoppled and anesthetized, an incision 

 is made immediately over the annular ligament and the shafts of 

 the two bones freely exposed by blunt dissection. Holes are bored 

 through the radius and ulna, as describel under Bone-Suturing, 

 silver wire is passed through the holes, the two bones are brought 

 into normal apposition, the wire twisted, the ends of the latter cut 

 off close, the wound closed, and suitable splints and bandages ap- 

 plied to immobilize the parts, provision being made for free 

 drainage. To prevent suppurative inflammation the operation must 

 be done strictly aseptically. The wire should be removed after five 

 or six weeks. The results of this operation often exceed the expec- 

 tations of the practitioner, the leg being used with freedom though 

 perfect use of the joint is not attained. 



