Limb blood vessels & nerves

Question 1

What artery do you feel when taking a medial brachium pulse

Answer 1

Brachial artery

Question 2

What artery do you feel when taking a disto-medial antebrachium pulse

Answer 2

Median artery

Question 3

What artery do you feel when taking a palmar pulse

Answer 3

Superficial palmar artery

Question 4

What is clinically important about the cephalic vein

Answer 4

It is key for IV access (not so much for blood sampling)

Question 5

What veins in the forearm need to be ligated in amputation

Answer 5

Brachial and axillobrachial

Question 6

Where is the pulse mainly taken in the pelvic limb

Answer 6

The femoral artery (medial thigh)

Question 7

What artery is useful in anaesthesia

Answer 7

Dorsal pedal artery

Question 8

What occupies the femoral triangle

Answer 8

Femoral artery, femoral vein and femoral nerve

Question 9

What vein in the pelvic lib is accessible for blood sampling and catheters

Answer 9

Lateral saphenous vein

Question 10

Plexus: definition

Answer 10

Tangle of nerves

Question 11

Plexus of the fore limb

Answer 11

Brachial plexus

Question 12

Plexus of the hind limb

Answer 12

Lumbosacral plexus

Question 13

What nerves form the brachial plexus

Answer 13

Ventral branches of C6-C8 and T1-T2

Question 14

What are the nerves of the brachial plexus

Answer 14

Suprascapular, subscapular, musculocutaneous, axillary, radial, median, ulnar (SSMARMU)

Question 15

What happens when there is damage to the suprascapular nerve (C6-7)

Answer 15

Lateral shoulder muscles atrophy

Question 16

What happens when there is damage to the musculocutaneous nerve (C7-8)

Answer 16

Elbow flexors lose sensation, over adaptation of pronator teres and carpal extensors

Question 17

What nerve suppliers the extensor muscles of the forelimb

Answer 17

Radial nerve

Question 18

What happens when there is proximal damage to the radial nerve

Answer 18

Elbow drops and knuckling of the paw

Question 19

Why is damage to carpal and elbow flexors more subtle

Answer 19

Flexion is a more passive process

Question 20

What nerves form the lumbosacral plexus

Answer 20

Ventral branches of L4 to S2/3

Question 21

What nerves extend from the lumbosacral plexus

Answer 21

Femoral, obturator, gluteal, sciatic and distal extension (tibial and fibular)

Question 22

What lumbosacral nerve is damaged in most cows, what causes it and what is the presentation

Answer 22

Obturator, caused by traumatic calving

Since the nerve supplies the adductor muscles the cow’s back legs are splayed

Question 23

What muscle is paralyzed by femoral nerve damage

Answer 23

Quadriceps femoris (animal cannot bear weight)

Question 24

What is the clinical presentation of sciatic nerve damage and why

Answer 24

Paw knuckles due to unopposed flexion of the digit flexors (extensors are paralyzed)

Question 25

Peroneal nerve (fibular) damage presentation

Answer 25

Over-extended hock and over-flexed digits

Question 26

Tibial nerve damage presentation

Answer 26

Over-flexed hock and over-extended digits (opposite of peroneal nerve damage)

Question 27

What nerve supplies the peroneal and tibial nerves

Answer 27

The sciatic