Atheroma/Cyst

ATHEROMA/CYST

  • It is a sebaceous cyst that mostly occurs in the false nostril in the horse, causing a local swelling and perhaps a nasal respiratory noise due to encroachment on the nasal passage.
  • The size of the  cyst varies from a pigeon egg to a large chicken egg. The content may be like water in the small cyst and the large cyst may be filled with a thick, greasy dark grey material.
  • The presence of the cyst is easily diagnosed by clinical examination.

Treatment - 1

Aseptic preparation and anaesthesia

  • The skin over the cyst is prepared aseptically by clipping, shaving and painting with povidone iodine for the operation and the tissues may be anaesthetized by infiltration with a local anaesthetic eg. 2% lignocaine hydrochloride.

Surgical procedure

  • A stab incision is made over the swelling area and evacuating the contents and swabbing its lining with tincture of iodine or any irritant or stimulating agent such as ammonia or turpentine liniment, constitute an effective method of treatment.
  • The irritant does not come in contact with the mucous membrane of the nose.

Treatment-2

  • An alternative method of treatment is the dissecting out the cyst. It is the best method of treatment.
  •  The incision through the skin  exposes the wall of the cyst. The wall should be separated from the surrounding tissues and excised.
  • It may be desirable to establish drainage into the nasal cavity. The edges of the skin incision may be united with simple interrupted suture with nylon or silk.
Last modified: Friday, 16 September 2011, 7:02 AM