Abdomen MCQ
Abdomen MCQ
Abdomen MCQ
The terminal ends of the ilioinguinal nerves in the female are referred to as:
Anterior labial
Cremasterics
Iliohypogastrics
2. The usual location for an appendectomy incision is the:
Falx inguinalis
Inguinal ligament
Arcuate line
Linea alba
4. A medical student was asked by her preceptor to palpate the margin of the superficial inguinal ring of a
healthy male patient. After passing her finger down the edge of the medial crus of the superficial
inguinal ring, she felt a bony protuberance deep to the lateral edge of the spermatic cord, which she
correctly identified as the :
pecten pubis
pubic symphysis
pubic tubercle
iliopubic eminence
iliopectineal line
5. You were asked to assist in a surgical operation on a young patient to treat an ulcer in the first part of
the duodenum. You would expect that the surgeon will approach the ulcer by doing an anterior
abdominal wall incision in the following region:
Epigastric
Left inguinal
Left lumbar
Right hypochondrial
Hypogastric
6. Following an emergency appendectomy your patient complained of having paresthesia (numbness) of
the skin at the pubic region. The most likely nerve that has been injured during the operation is:
Genitofemoral
Iliohypogastric
Subcostal
Spinal nerve T9
7. An obstetrician decides to do a Caesarean section on a 25-year-old pregnant woman. A transverse
suprapubic incision is chosen for that purpose. All of the following abdominal wall layers will be
encountered during the incision EXCEPT the:
Inferior epigastric
Superficial epigastric
Arcuate line
Intercrestal line
Linea alba
Pectineal line
Semilunar line
10. Surgical approaches to the abdomen sometimes necessitate a midline incision between the two rectus
sheaths, i.e., through the:
Linea aspera
Arcuate line
Semilunar line
Iliopectineal line
Linea alba
11. The internal thoracic artery is sometimes surgically cut near the caudal end of the sternum and used to
supply blood to a region of the heart. In these cases, maintenance of adequate blood flow to the rectus
abdominis may be dependent on increased flow through which artery?
Superficial epigastric
Inferior epigastric
Umbilical
Transpyloric plane
Transtubercular line
Level of umbilicus
1. During a laparoscopic examination of the deep surface of the lower anterior abdominal wall (using a
lighted scope on a thin tube inserted through the wall), the attending physician noted something of
interest and asked the young resident to look at the medial inguinal fossa. To do so, the young doctor
would have to look at the area between the:
A femoral hernia
Iliohypogastric nerve
Ilioinguinal nerve
Supravesical fossa
6. A patient presents with a hernia that is palpable at the superficial inguinal ring. Is this an indirect inguinal
hernia?
Yes
No
Iliohypogastric nerve
Anterior scrotal
Anterior labial
Iliohypogastric nerve
Subcostal nerve
9. While performing a routine digital examination of the inguinal region in a healthy teen-aged male, the
physician felt a walnut-sized lump protruding from the superficial inguinal ring. She correctly concluded
that it was :
Femoral
Iliohypogastric
Ilioinguinal
Subcostal
12. A 45-year-old porter develops a direct inguinal hernia. If the hernia extended through the superficial
inguinal ring, it would be surrounded by all of the abdominal wall layers EXCEPT the:
Pelvic brim
Perineum
ascending colon
cecum
descending colon
rectum
sigmoid colon
15. A 45-year-old man had developed a direct inguinal hernia several months after having an emergency
appendectomy. The examining doctor linked the cause of hernia to accidental nerve injury that
happened during appendectomy and weakened the falx inguinalis. Which nerve had been injured?
Ilioinguinal
Subcostal
Arcuate line
Inguinal ligament
Falx inguinalis
Transversalis fascia
18. If a hernia enters into the scrotum, it is most likely a(n):
Femoral hernia
Obturator hernia
19. Which nerve passes through the superficial inguinal ring and may therefore be endangered during
inguinal hernia repair?
Ilioinguinal
Iliohypogastric
Obturator
Subcostal
20. During exploratory surgery of the abdomen, an incidental finding was a herniation of bowel between the
lateral edge of the rectus abdominis muscle, the inguinal ligament and the inferior epigastric vessels.
These boundaries defined the hernia as a(n):
Femoral hernia
Umbilical hernia
1. Which of the following veins does not run a course parallel to the artery of the same name?
superior epigastric
inferior mesenteric
superior rectal
ileocolic
2. The presence of which feature (also obvious on a radiograph with barium contrast) distinguishes small
from large bowel?
Serosa
3. Occlusion of the inferior mesenteric artery is seldom symptomatic because its territory may be supplied
by branches of the:
Gastroduodenal
Ileocolic
Middle colic
Right colic
Splenic
4. During exploratory abdominal surgery on a 55-year-old male complaining of right lower quadrant pain,
the surgeon initially sees no appendix but knows that he can quickly locate it by
the inferior mesenteric artery is the axis for rotation of the midgut loop
the stomach rotates around its longitudinal axis causing the ventral border to become the greater
curvature
is caused by a failure of the midgut loop to return to the abdominal cavity
T 10
T 11
T 12
L 1
8. A surgical maneuver which takes advantage of the avascular plane of fusion fascia can be applied to
mobilize all of the organs below, except the:
Ascending colon
Descending colon
Duodenum
Kidney
Pancreas
9. A surgeon performing an appendectomy was unable to identify the base of the appendix due to massive
adhesions in the peritoneal cavity. Eventually she identified the cecum and was able to localize the base
of the appendix. What anatomical structure(s) on the cecum would she have used to find the base of the
appendix?
Omental appendages
Haustra coli
Ileal orifice
Semilunar folds
Teniae coli
10. The spleen normally does not descend below the costal margin. However, it pushes downward and
medially when pathologically enlarged. What structure limits the straight vertical downward movement?
Ligament of Treitz
Pancreas
Stomach
11. During the surgical repair of a hiatal hernia, the celiac branch of the posterior vagal trunk was severed
accidentally. The damage to this nerve would affect the muscular movements, as well as some
secretory activities, of the gastrointestinal tract (GI). Which segment is least likely to be affected by the
nerve damage?
Ascending colon
Cecum
Jejunum
Ileum
Sigmoid colon
12. A 70-year-old man with cancer of the ascending colon was admitted to the hospital for tumor removal.
The surgeon may perform any of these surgical procedures EXCEPT:
Cecum
Descending colon
Rectum
Sigmoid colon
Splenic flexure
14. A surgeon has decided to perform a segmental resection of the descending colon on a 70-year-old man
with intestinal cancer. In principle, any of these surgical procedures might be necessary EXCEPT:
An extended left lower quadrant incision to approach the descending colon.
A serosa
Circular folds
Epiploic appendages
Tenia
C and D
16. The anastomotic artery running along the border of the large intestine is called the:
Arcade
Arteriae rectae
Coronary
Ileocolic
Marginal
17. The inferior mesenteric artery is often occluded by atherosclerosis without symptoms; its normal area of
distribution therefore must be supplied by collateral blood flow between which arteries?
Celiac trunk
Inferior mesenteric
Proper hepatic
Splenic
Superior mesenteric
1. A patient was diagnosed with bleeding ulcer of the lesser curvature of the stomach. Which artery is most
likely involved?
Gastroduodenal
Left gastric
Short gastrics
2. Which is a derivative of the dorsal mesogastrium?
Falciform ligament
Hepatoduodenal ligament
Hepatogastric ligament
Greater omentum
Lesser omentum
3. The spleen:
cardiac notch
fundus
lesser curvature
pylorus
rugae
5. In order to do a vagotomy (section of vagal nerve trunks) to reduce the secretion of acid by cells of the
stomach mucosa in patients with peptic ulcers, one needs to cut the gastric branches and retain vagal
innervation to other abdominal organs. Where would a surgeon look for these branches in relation to the
stomach?
gastrocolic ligament
gastrosplenic ligament
phrenicocolic ligament
splenorenal ligament
transverse mesocolon
7. Which of the following structures does not lie at least partially in the retroperitoneum?
adrenal gland
duodenum
kidney
pancreas
spleen
8. Which ligament is a derivative of the dorsal mesogastrium?
Coronary
Falciform
Hepatoduodenal
Hepatogastric
Gastrocolic
9. A 60-year-old male executive who had a history of a chronic duodenal ulcer was admitted to the ER
exhibiting signs of a severe internal hemorrhage. He was quickly diagnosed with perforation of the
posterior wall of the first part of the duodenum and erosion of an artery behind it by the gastric expellent.
The artery is most likely the:
Common hepatic
Gastroduodenal
Left gastric
Proper hepatic
Superior mesenteric
10. A twenty-year-old woman was broad-sided on the driver side by an SUV and was taken to the hospital
emergency room. Examination showed low blood pressure and tenderness on the left mid-axillary line.
Also, a large swelling was felt protruding downward and medially below the left costal margin. X-rays
revealed that her 9th and 10th ribs were fractured near their angles on the left side. The abdominal
organ most likely to be injured by the fracture is:
Descending colon
Left kidney
Pancreas
Spleen
Stomach
11. You are observing an operation to remove the left suprarenal gland. To expose the gland the surgeon
mobilizes the descending colon by cutting along its lateral attachment to the body wall and dissecting
medialward in the fusion fascia behind it. Suddenly the operative field is filled with blood. The surgeon
realizes he has failed to cut a mesenteric attachment between the left colic flexure and another organ.
As a result of the traction, the surface of the organ tore. Which organ was injured?
Duodenum
Kidney
Liver
Spleen
Suprarenal gland
12. A patient presented with a swollen spleen, which protruded medially toward the umbilicus in the
abdomen. A vertical and downward expansion of the spleen was resisted by the:
Left kidney
Stomach
13. During emergency surgery, it was found that a chronic gastric ulcer had perforated the posterior wall of
the stomach and eroded a large artery running immediately posterior to the stomach. The artery is the:
Gastroduodenal
Common hepatic
Left gastroepiploic
Splenic
Superior mesenteric
14. The spleen contacts all of the following organs EXCEPT:
Jejunum
Kidney
Stomach
15. Which is not a boundary of the epiploic (omental) foramen?
Aorta
Hepatoduodenal ligament
16. In order to approach the area posterior to the stomach, a surgeon decided to go through the lesser
omentum. Before incising the mesentery she was careful to find and preserve a nerve lying in the upper
portion of the hepatogastric ligament, i.e., the
Colon
Diaphragm
Duodenum
Pancreas
Stomach
18. The fundus of the stomach receives its arterial supply from the:
Common hepatic
Inferior phrenic
Left gastroepiploic
Right gastric
Splenic
19. During an emergency splenectomy, the surgeon accidentally tore the gastrosplenic ligament and its
contents. The artery (ies) likely to be damaged in this event is (are) the:
Left gastric
Splenic
Short gastric
Middle colic
Caudal pancreatic
20. While performing emergency surgery to control hemorrhage brought on by arterial erosion caused by a
duodenal ulcer, surgeons ligated the badly damaged gastroduodenal artery near its origin, which
affected all of its branches as well. Assuming "average anatomy", in which of the following arteries
would blood now flow in retrograde fashion (backwards) from collateral sources?
Left hepatic
Right gastroepiploic
Short gastric
Left gastric
Omental branches
Duodenum
Kidney
Spleen
Stomach
Transverse Colon
2. A 40 year-old male with a long history of duodenal ulcer problems was brought in for emergency surgery
to control severe hemorrhage into the peritoneal cavity. The surgeons found that erosion by the ulcer of
a vessel passing behind the first part of the duodenum was the source of the hemorrhage. Which of the
following vessels passes behind the first part of the duodenum and would need to be clamped off to
control the bleeding?
coronary vein
gastroduodenal artery
splenic vein
3. During a cholecystectomy (removal of the gall bladder), the surgical resident accidentally jabbed a sharp
instrument into the area immediately posterior to the epiploic foramen (its posterior boundary). He was
horrified to see the surgical field immediately fill with blood, the source which he knew was the:
aorta
portal vein
colon
duodenum
esophagus
gall bladder
stomach
6. To stop hemorrhaging from a ruptured spleen, it was necessary to temporarily ligate the splenic artery
near the celiac trunk. The blood supply to which structure is least likely to be affected by the ligation?
Duodenum
Greater omentum
Body of pancreas
Tail of pancreas
Stomach
7. A 50-year-old female patient with severe jaundice was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. You suspect
that the tumor is located in which portion of the pancreas?
Head
Neck
Body
Tail
Uncinate process
8. A patient was admitted with symptoms of bowel obstruction. Further examination revealed that the
obstruction was caused by the nutcracker-like compression of the bowel between the superior
mesenteric artery and the aorta. The compressed bowel is most likely the:
Duodenum
Jejunum
Ileum
Ascending colon
Transverse colon
9. A medical student was asked to identify a small specimen taken for pathological examination from a
surgically removed duodenum. The student noted that the specimen revealed a thin wall and no circular
folds. The specimen is from which segment?
Superior
Descending
Horizontal
Ascending
10. You are observing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The surgeon states that he is next going to expose
the cystic artery in order to staple across it. He asks you where he should look for it. You reply, "In the
triangle of Calot." What stuctures form this triangle and are the keys to finding the artery?
Gastroduodenal artery
Portal vein
12. A 58-year-old patient was diagnosed with a severe case of portal hypertension due to alcoholic cirrhosis
of the liver. It was determined that a bypass between the vessels of the portal and caval systems was
necessary. The plan most likely to be successful is:
portal vein
splenic vein
15. An ulcer near the pyloroduodenal junction perforated and eroded a large artery immediately posterior to
the duodenum. The ligation of the eroded vessel at its origin would LEAST affect the arterial supply to
the:
Cystic duct
Hepatopancreatic ampulla
17. The blockage of a main bile duct in the quadrate lobe will likely cause reduced flow of bile secretion in
the:
It is thin walled and circular folds are absent in its interior.
It has the opening for the common bile duct and pancreatic duct on its posteromedial wall.
Duodenum
Kidney
Spleen
Suprarenal gland
Transverse colon
20. The inferior mesenteric vein usually joins which vein?
Left renal
Portal
Splenic
Superior mesenteric
21. A surgeon needs to construct a bypass between the veins of the portal and caval systems to circumvent
insufficient drainage through the natural portacaval anastomoses. Which plan is likely to be successful?
Cystic duct
Duodenum
Jejunum
Pancreas
Splenic vein
Transverse colon
24. A 60-year-old patient who has had a chronic ulcer of the duodenum for many years was admitted to the
hospital with signs of a severe internal hemorrhage. The ulcer perforated the posterior wall of the first
portion of the duodenum and eroded an artery in that position. The damaged artery was:
Cystic
Gastroduodenal
Hepatic
Left gastric
1. A 57-year-old male complains of intense chest pain, but tests rule out any cardiac pathology. It was
determined that the patient suffers from an esophageal (hiatal) hernia in which the stomach herniates
through an enlarged esophageal hiatus. Muscle fibers from which of the following parts of the
diaphragm would border directly on this hernia?
left crus
right crus
central tendon
costal fibers
sternal fibers
2. Sympathetic fibers in the greater splanchnic nerve arise from neuron cell bodies found in the:
brainstem
celiac ganglion
chain ganglion
spinal cord
aorta
diaphragm
pancreas
ovary
suprarenal gland
5. The celiac plexus of nerves may contain fibers derived from all of the following sources except:
Veins from both glands drain directly into the inferior vena cava.
Cells that secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine are innervated by preganglionic fibers from the
greater thoracic splanchnic nerve.
7. The nerve that innervates the cells of the suprarenal medulla consists of fibers of the:
Aortic hiatus
Esophageal hiatus
Caval foramen
Kidney cortex
Kidney medulla
Suprarenal medulla
Suprarenal cortex
12. The pararenal fat in the kidney bed is an elaboration of:
Peritoneum
Extraperitoneal connective tissue
Transversalis fascia
Fusion fascia
13. The cisterna chyli accompanies which structure as it passes through the diaphragm?
Esophagus
Aorta
14. Blood from an injured kidney will seep through the perirenal fat until it contacts the internal surface of
the renal (Gerota's) fascia. Without perforating this fascia the blood could then continue to pass in what
direction?
femoral
genitofemoral
iliohypogastric
ilioguinal
obturator
16. While recovering from an open abdominal hysterectomy (i.e., using a midline abdominal incision to gain
entry to the pelvis), a patient realizes that she has lost sensation to the skin of her anterior thigh and
cannot extend her knee. Retractors holding the incision open and pressing against the posterior
abdominal wall most likely caused injury to which nerve?
Femoral
Genitofemoral
Iliohypogastric
Obturator
17. In the lumbar region, tuberculosis may spread from the vertebrae into an adjacent muscle to produce an
abscess. Pus from the abscess may travel within the fascial sheath surrounding the affected muscle. A
patient presents with pus surfacing in the superomedial part of the thigh. To which muscle did the
tuberculosis most likely spread?
Internal oblique
Obturator internus
Psoas major
Quadratus lumborum
Rectus abdominis
18. The nerves of the lumbar plexus are arranged around specific muscles of the posterior abdominal wall.
Which of these nerves lies immediately medial to the psoas major muscle?
Femoral
Genitofemoral
Ilioinguinal
Obturator