DISEASES OF SYNOVIAL SHEATHS OF TENPONS 235 



Hind leg : A common sight is the distended sheath of the 

 peroneus tendon, found at the external and lower part of the 

 hock. 



What is the prognosis of chronic dropsy of the syrtovial ten- 

 don sheaths ? 



This condition, as a rule, does not lame the animal, repre- 

 senting, therefore, more a blemish than anything else. Tak- 

 ing it all around, one can safely say that chronic dropsy of 

 the tendon sheath is incurable. A cure here and there occurs. 



OuUine the treatment of dropsy of the synovial sheaths. 



To the cautious, conservative surgeon these synovial 

 sheaths, when chronically distended by a serous exudate, are 

 a sort of noli me tangere — at least with the knife — this refer- 

 ring especially to the sheaths of the flexor tendon, simply be- 

 cause of the possibility of a septicemia or pyemia following 

 the opening of such a sheath. Practical experience has shown 

 innumerable times that the opening of the synovial sheaths, 

 even when aseptically done, is not without danger, as it is 

 very difficult to keep an aseptic dressing in place ; neverthe- 

 less, horses have been operated successfully by this method. 

 Puncturing the sheath with the needle-pointed firing iron also 

 is risky. The injection of a watery solution of iodine, while 

 less dangerous, is by no means reliable. Finally, puncture or 

 line firing or blisters are of questionable value, almost invari- 

 ably failing. 



The lameness of the so-called hard galls, the result of dis- 

 ease of the perf orans tendon and chronic fibrous changes of 

 the tendo- vaginal sheath, are frequently helped by line firing 

 plus blistering. Should this fail, tibial neurectomy will give 

 fair results. 



