Ischiopubic Symphysiotomy 5.
If the chisel has a handle as shown here, which is oriented parallel to the blade, the orientation is easier to monitor. The blade must remain vertical and moving along the midline throughout the cutting procedure. Taps with the hammer should be less forceful as the blade nears the anterior end of the symphysis, lest the sharp blade plunge into the ventral wall of the uterus. When the cut is complete, the chisel can be slid back and forth manually. Another way to check whether separation is achieved, is to rock the heifer's hindquarters from side to side, while the operator's hand in the vagina palpates the rise and fall of the opposing edges.
Seemann CW (1983)
Printable Version