Surgical Anatomy & Approaches MCQs

A 29-year-old elite volleyball player presents with poorly localized posterior shoulder pain and paresthesias over the lateral deltoid. An MRI demonstrates isolated atrophy of the teres minor. He is diagnosed with quadrilateral space syndrome. Which artery and nerve traverse this anatomical space?

A 30-year-old cyclist undergoes open reduction and internal fixation of a displaced midshaft clavicle fracture utilizing an anterior-inferior plating technique. Postoperatively, he complains of a well-demarcated area of numbness over his anterosuperior chest wall, just inferior to the surgical incision. Which nerve was most likely injured during the surgical exposure?

A 24-year-old overhead athlete presents with posterior shoulder pain and isolated weakness of external rotation, with normal strength in abduction. An MRI reveals an isolated paralabral cyst in the spinoglenoid notch. Which of the following nerves is directly compressed?

Which of the following best describes the boundaries of the quadrangular space of the shoulder?

During an anterior (Smith-Petersen) approach to the hip, an internervous plane is utilized to expose the joint. This superficial plane lies between muscles supplied by which of the following pairs of nerves?

A 35-year-old man sustains a midshaft humerus fracture. During open reduction and internal fixation via a posterior approach, the radial nerve is identified. At what approximate distance from the lateral epicondyle does the radial nerve typically pierce the lateral intermuscular septum to enter the anterior compartment of the arm?

During a posterior approach to the shoulder for a glenoid fracture, the surgeon enters the quadrangular space. Which of the following structures form the superior and inferior borders of this space, respectively?

During a Smith-Petersen (anterior) approach to the hip, there is a risk of injury to the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN). To minimize this risk, the surgeon should remember that the LFCN typically enters the thigh by passing beneath the inguinal ligament at what specific location?

In a patient undergoing a posterior approach to the hip, the sciatic nerve is identified. In approximately what percentage of the population does the common peroneal division of the sciatic nerve pierce directly through the piriformis muscle belly?

During an extended deltopectoral approach to the shoulder, the axillary nerve is at risk as it crosses the deep surface of the deltoid. Approximately how far distal to the lateral edge of the acromion does the axillary nerve typically run?

A surgeon exploring the posterior humerus identifies a neurovascular bundle passing through the triangular interval. Which structures are found within this anatomical space?

During a lateral approach to the distal humerus, the radial nerve is identified crossing the lateral intermuscular septum. At what average distance proximal to the lateral epicondyle does the radial nerve pierce the lateral intermuscular septum?

A patient develops inability to extend the fingers at the MCP joints following a proximal radius fracture. Wrist extension is maintained but with radial deviation. The injured nerve typically enters the supinator muscle beneath which of the following structures?

During an anterior (Smith-Petersen) approach to the hip, an internervous plane is utilized. The nerve at greatest risk during superficial dissection crosses the sartorius muscle. What is the sensory distribution of this nerve?

A patient sustains an obturator nerve injury during pelvic lymph node dissection. Which of the following muscles will maintain partial function because of its dual innervation?

A patient suffers a high-energy motorcycle collision and sustains a traction injury to the brachial plexus affecting the posterior cord. Which of the following movements will be most severely impaired?

In anatomical variations of the relationship between the sciatic nerve and the piriformis muscle, the most common variant (Beaton and Anson type B) involves which of the following arrangements?

When performing an extensile lateral approach to the humerus, the radial nerve must be identified and protected. At approximately what distance proximal to the radiocapitellar joint does the radial nerve pierce the lateral intermuscular septum?

During a Smith-Petersen (anterior) approach to the hip, the deep internervous plane lies between the rectus femoris and the gluteus medius. What is the motor innervation to the muscle forming the medial border of this deep plane?

In a standard deltopectoral approach to the shoulder, the conjoined tendon is often retracted medially. At approximately what distance distal to the coracoid process does the musculocutaneous nerve typically enter the coracobrachialis?