Certified Surgical Technologist Anatomy and Physiology 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The lymphatic drainage of the breast primarily flows to which group of lymph nodes?
- Inguinal lymph nodes
- Axillary lymph nodes (Correct answer)
- Cervical lymph nodes
- Para-aortic lymph nodes
Correct answer: Axillary lymph nodes
Approximately 75% of breast lymphatic drainage flows to the axillary lymph nodes, which is why they are assessed and often dissected during breast cancer surgery.
Question 2: The Circle of Willis provides collateral cerebral circulation. Which vessel is NOT a component of the Circle of Willis?
- Anterior communicating artery
- Middle cerebral artery (Correct answer)
- Posterior communicating artery
- Basilar artery
Correct answer: Middle cerebral artery
The middle cerebral artery branches off the internal carotid but is not part of the Circle of Willis itself, which includes the communicating arteries and their connecting vessels.
Question 3: Which structure is the landmark for the femoral triangle and lies between the femoral artery and the femoral canal?
- Femoral nerve
- Femoral vein (Correct answer)
- Great saphenous vein
- Profunda femoris artery
Correct answer: Femoral vein
In the femoral triangle, the arrangement from lateral to medial is: femoral Nerve, femoral Artery, femoral Vein, empty space/canal (NAVY).
Question 4: The rotator cuff is composed of four muscles. Which rotator cuff muscle is most commonly torn?
- Infraspinatus
- Teres minor
- Subscapularis
- Supraspinatus (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Supraspinatus
The supraspinatus tendon is the most commonly torn rotator cuff muscle because it passes through the narrow subacromial space and is subject to impingement.
Question 5: During a thyroidectomy, the recurrent laryngeal nerve must be identified. Damage to this nerve results in:
- Loss of taste from the anterior tongue
- Hoarseness or voice changes (Correct answer)
- Inability to swallow liquids
- Loss of shoulder elevation
Correct answer: Hoarseness or voice changes
The recurrent laryngeal nerve innervates all intrinsic laryngeal muscles except the cricothyroid; injury causes hoarseness, and bilateral injury can cause airway obstruction.
Question 6: Which layer of the epidermis is responsible for producing new keratinocytes through mitosis?
- Stratum corneum
- Stratum granulosum
- Stratum basale (Correct answer)
- Stratum spinosum
Correct answer: Stratum basale
The stratum basale (basal layer) is the deepest epidermal layer containing mitotically active keratinocytes that continuously replenish the epidermis.
Question 7: The portal triad found in the liver consists of which three structures?
- Hepatic vein, bile duct, and lymphatic vessel
- Portal vein branch, hepatic artery branch, and bile ductule (Correct answer)
- Central vein, sinusoid, and hepatocyte plate
- Kupffer cell, hepatic stellate cell, and hepatocyte
Correct answer: Portal vein branch, hepatic artery branch, and bile ductule
Each portal triad contains a branch of the portal vein, a branch of the hepatic artery, and a bile ductule, all enclosed within connective tissue at the corners of hepatic lobules.
Certified Surgical Technologist Anatomy and Physiology 5
The lymphatic drainage of the breast primarily flows to which group of lymph nodes?