Surgical Anatomy & Approaches MCQs

A 22-year-old collegiate baseball pitcher presents with poorly localized posterior shoulder pain and paresthesias over the lateral deltoid. MRI reveals isolated atrophy of the teres minor muscle. The nerve affected in this syndrome passes through a specific anatomic space. Which of the following structures forms the superior boundary of this space?

A retroperitoneal approach to the anterior lumbar spine (L4-L5) is being performed. The surgeon identifies the psoas major muscle. Which of the following describes the correct anatomic relationship of the major nerves of the lumbar plexus relative to the psoas major?

A patient sustains a midshaft humerus fracture. Which of the following structures is at greatest risk of injury as it passes through the lateral intermuscular septum?

In the anterior approach to the hip (Smith-Petersen), the internervous plane is between muscles supplied by which two nerves?

A surgeon is performing an anterolateral approach to the distal femur. The internervous plane is between the vastus lateralis and the rectus femoris. What is the innervation of these two muscles?

A patient demonstrates an inability to actively cross their legs (adduct the hip) following pelvic trauma. Which of the following nerves is most likely injured?

A patient with a displaced surgical neck fracture of the humerus is found to have weakness of the deltoid and loss of sensation over the lateral aspect of the shoulder. Which of the following spaces does the injured nerve pass through to exit the axilla?

During an ilioinguinal approach to the acetabulum, the external iliac vessels are mobilized. Which of the following structures is at greatest risk of injury when working in the middle window of this approach?

During an anterior approach to the hip, knowledge of the lumbar plexus is essential. The femoral nerve is formed by which of the following combinations of nerve roots?

Which of the following neurovascular structures pass through the quadrangular space of the shoulder?

During the anterior (Henry) approach to the proximal radius, the posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) must be protected. Which muscle is fully supinated to carry the PIN away from the surgical field?

The sural nerve is frequently harvested for nerve grafts. It is typically formed by the union of the medial sural cutaneous nerve and the sural communicating branch of the lateral sural cutaneous nerve. The lateral sural cutaneous nerve is a direct branch of which nerve?

The radial nerve descends in the spiral groove of the humerus. At approximately what distance proximal to the radiocapitellar joint line does the radial nerve pierce the lateral intermuscular septum to enter the anterior compartment?

The "corona mortis" is an anomalous vascular anastomosis that is at risk during the ilioinguinal approach to the acetabulum. It connects which two vascular systems?

Approximately how many centimeters proximal to the lateral malleolus does the superficial peroneal nerve pierce the crural fascia to become subcutaneous?

During a lateral transpsoas approach to the lumbar spine, which nerve is most at risk of injury when retracting the psoas muscle posteriorly at the L4-L5 disc space?

During a posterior approach to the humerus, the radial nerve is at risk as it pierces the lateral intermuscular septum to enter the anterior compartment. On average, what is the distance from the lateral epicondyle to this point of penetration?

Which of the following structures forms the superior border of the quadrilateral space in the shoulder?

A surgeon is performing a standard anterior (Smith-Petersen) approach to the hip. To prevent denervation of the tensor fasciae latae (TFL), the dissection should remain superficial to what nerve?