392 Surgical Diseases and Surgery of the Dog 



given. Circumscribed and encapsulated innocent subcutaneous neo- 

 plasms require simpler measures. A single skin incision is made im- 

 mediately over the growth and the latter being exposed is removed 

 by blunt dissection or enucleation. Healing, when uninterrupted, 

 takes place in from two to six weeks. 



The treatment of retention and extravasation cysts comprises 

 two methods. It must be remembered that a cyst is but an accumu- 

 lation of fluid limited by a wall of concentrated connective tissue 

 lined in whole or in part with actively secreting cells, and that as 

 long as a portion of this wall remains in place secretion will continue 

 and reaccumulation of fluid take place. Hence, the surgeon always 

 seeks to remove or destroy every vestige of the lining membrane. 

 The preferable way to accomplish this is by blunt dissection of the 

 sac intact. Dissection must be performed with extreme care and 

 delicacy, because should the sac be inadvertently punctured, it im- 

 mediately collapses through escape of the fluid and its complete re- 

 moval is attended with difHculty and in some cases rendered impos- 

 sible. The other way is to destroy the secretory power of the lining 

 cells leaving the sac in position. This method is frequently re- 

 sorted to when the cyst lies in an inaccessible position or in prox- 

 imity to important blood-vessels, but it must only be employed with 

 due regard to the establishment of drainage as the object is to induce 

 an active suppuration. The contents of the sac must first be evacu- 

 ated either by means of an aspirating syringe, or by puncture when 

 too tenacious to pass through a needle. Some irritating solution, such 

 as tincture of iodine or nitrate of silver solution, is then injected. 

 In a few hours this is followed by local inflammatory phenomena and 

 at the expiration of forty-eight hours the aspirator should again be 

 employed to ascertain the presence or absence of pus. If suppura- 

 tion has not taken place the injection is to be repeated every three 

 or four days until it does. Should pus be present it is evacuated by 

 lancing and the parts treated as an ordinary abscess. 



Certain of the Pseudo-Cysts are treated by simple aseptic 

 aspiration. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



Almy— Bull, ■de la Soc. Cent, de MM. VStSr. 189T, p. 539. 

 Belerle— Monatsh. t. prakt. Thlerhellk. 1892-93, p. 273. 

 Benoit— Bey. V«t6r. Feb., 1896. 



Bouchet — Bull, de la Soe. Cent, de M6d. V6t6r. 1897, p. 184. 

 Bournay— Joum, de M6d. V6t6r. de I'ficole de Lyon. 1893, p. 282. 

 Boutelle — Jonrn. Gomp. Med. & Vet. Archives. 1895, p. 222. 

 Bruckmueller — Citefl by KItt In Lebrb. der Path. Anat. Dlagn. 

 Bunker — Amer. Veter. Keview. 1884, p. 34. 

 Cad6ac— Rev. V6t6r. 1885, 188T. 



