Head And Neck Review Questions (from Course Pack)

Question 1

Where does the rotary movement of disapproval occur?

Answer 1

C2 Axis

Question 2

Between which joint of the neck does flexion and extension occur?

Answer 2

Atlanto-occipital joint

Question 3

What is the clavarium?

Answer 3

Skullcap. Covers the brain. Made from portions of frontal bone, occipital bone, and parietal bone.

Question 4

What is the dipole?

Answer 4

The dipole is the spongy bone separating the two layers of compact bone in the skull

Question 5

What are the fontanels and what function do they serve?

Answer 5

“Soft spots” on an infants head. Present on the calvaria and allow for rapid brain growth. Become sutures when joined.

Question 6

What two areas of the skull are easily fractures and why?

Answer 6

On thin squamous temporal and parietal bones.

Question 7

Of what clinical use is observation of the external jugular vein?

Answer 7

The external jugular is a large vein used in prehospital medicine for venous access when the EMT is unable to find another peripheral vein. It is commonly used in cardiac arrest or other situations where the patient is unresponsive due to the pain associated with the procedure.

Question 8

Where would you locate the spinal accessory nerve (CN XI)?

Answer 8

The accessory nerve is divided into spinal and cranial parts.

i. Spinal: The spinal portion arises from neurones of the upper spinal cord, specifically C1-C5/C6 spinal nerve roots
ii. Cranial: The cranial portion is much smaller, and arises from the lateral aspect of the medulla oblongata. It leaves the cranium via the jugular foramen, where it briefly contacts the spinal part of the accessory nerve.

Question 9

What supplies sensation to the skin over the angle of the jaw?

Answer 9

V3

Question 10

Where would you inject anesthetic to obtain a cervical nerve block?

Answer 10

Injection into the nerve root where it exits the foramen, a side opening where two vertebrae meet, in the cervical spine (neck)

Question 11

What is the significance of the retropharyngeal space?

Answer 11

The danger space is a potential space located behind the true retropharyngeal space, which connects the deep cervical spaces to the mediastinum. Retropharyngeal abscesses are deep neck space infections that can pose an immediate life-threatening emergency, with potential for airway compromise and other catastrophic complications.