Access to Surgery - Anatomy Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering major regional and developmental anatomy concepts, including nerves, vasculature, and clinical correlates from the Access to Surgery guide.

Serratus anterior

A muscle innervated by the long thoracic nerve that keeps the scapula held forward; damage to its nerve results in a 'winged scapula' appearance.

Annular ligament

A strong band of fibres in the forearm that encircles the head of the radius and retains it in contact with the radial notch of the ulna.

Rotator cuff

A musculotendinous group surrounding the shoulder joint consisting of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.

Scaphoid

The largest bone in the proximal row of carpal bones, commonly fractured in falls on an outstretched hand.

Femoral sheath

A prolongation of the pelvic fasciae divided into three compartments: lateral (femoral artery), intermediate (femoral vein), and medial (femoral canal).

Small saphenous vein

A vein beginning behind the lateral malleolus that possesses from $9$ to $12$ valves and ends in the popliteal vein.

Anterior drawer sign

A clinical indicator used to detect damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Thoracic duct

The common trunk conveying lymph and chyle into the blood; it varies in length from $38$ to $45\,cm$ and enters the thorax via the aortic hiatus.

Sternal angle

The landmark where the second costal cartilage attaches to the sternum, marking the level of the $T4/T5$ intervertebral disc.

Costodiaphragmatic recess

The lowest extent of the pleural cavity into which fluid tends to accumulate when a patient is in an erect posture.

Transverse pericardial sinus

A space in the pericardial sac located behind the aorta and pulmonary trunk and anterior to the superior vena cava.

Carina

A cartilaginous structure resembling a ship's keel that separates the right and left main stem bronchi.

Gastroduodenal artery

A branch of the hepatic artery that descends behind the first part of the duodenum; it is the most likely source of bleeding in perforated posterior duodenal ulcers.

Suspensory ligament (of Treitz)

A fibromuscular band that holds the duodenojejunal flexure in place and is used to divide the GI tract into upper and lower portions.

Marginal artery

An anastomotic vessel running along the border of the large intestine formed by branches of the ileocolic, right colic, middle colic, left colic, and sigmoid arteries.

Triangle of Calot

An anatomical space formed by the common hepatic duct, liver, and cystic duct which contains the cystic artery.

Pudendal nerve

The principal motor and sensory nerve of the perineum with a root value of $S2$, $S3$, and $S4$.

Carotid sheath

Connective tissue extending from the skull base to the neck root containing the common carotid artery, internal jugular vein, and vagus nerve.

Middle meningeal artery

The largest artery supplying the dura mater, entering the cranium via the foramen spinosum; its rupture results in an epidural haematoma.

Chorda tympani

A branch of the facial nerve ($VII$) that carries taste from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue and presynaptic parasympathetic fibres to the submandibular ganglion.

Cerebral aqueduct

The part of the ventricular system that carries cerebrospinal fluid between the third and fourth ventricles.

Ligamentum denticulatum

A narrow fibrous band of pia mater situated on either side of the spinal cord that separates the anterior from the posterior nerve roots.

Meiosis

The process essential for sexual reproduction in eukaryotes that results in a reduction of chromosome number to produce haploid cells.

Sinus venosus

A quadrangular cavity in the embryonic heart that gives rise to the coronary sinus and the smooth part of the right atrium ($sinus\,venarum$) in the adult.

Meckel’s diverticulum

A remnant of the vitelline duct existing in $2\%$ of cases, typically located $0.6\,m$ (2 ft) from the ileocaecal valve and often containing ectopic gastric tissue.

Allantois

A tubular diverticulum of the posterior part of the yolk sac that opens into the cloaca or terminal part of the hindgut.

Jelly of Wharton

Embryonic gelatinous tissue that envelopes the umbilical vessels and vitelline duct within the umbilical cord.