Surgical Anatomy and Physiology Flashcards

Which nerve is at risk during a mastectomy and, if injured, causes 'winged scapula'?

Answer: Long thoracic nerve

Injury to the long thoracic nerve during mastectomy denervates the serratus anterior muscle, causing the medial scapular border to wing outward.

Which blood supply to the sigmoid colon is most commonly divided during sigmoid colectomy?

Answer: Inferior mesenteric artery branches (sigmoid arteries)

The sigmoid colon is supplied by sigmoid arteries (sigmoidal branches of the inferior mesenteric artery) which are divided during sigmoid colectomy.

The celiac trunk divides into which three branches?

Answer: Left gastric, splenic, common hepatic

The celiac trunk trifurcates into the left gastric artery, splenic artery, and common hepatic artery to supply the foregut structures.

During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, critical view of safety requires visualization of how many structures entering the gallbladder?

Answer: Two structures (cystic duct and cystic artery)

Critical view of safety requires that only two structures — the cystic duct and cystic artery — are seen entering the gallbladder before clipping.

Which anatomical structure divides the liver into right and left lobes based on functional segmentation (Cantlie's line)?

Answer: Middle hepatic vein plane (Cantlie's line)

Cantlie's line runs through the plane of the middle hepatic vein dividing the liver into true right and left functional lobes, not the falciform ligament.

The obturator nerve exits the pelvis through which foramen and may be injured during lymph node dissection?

Answer: Obturator foramen

The obturator nerve exits the pelvis through the obturator foramen and is at risk during obturator lymph node dissection for gynecologic or urologic cancers.