Triangels and Cervical Plexus

Question 1

What are the four cutaneous nerves of the neck?

Answer 1

lesser occipital nerve
great auricular nerve
transverse cervical nerve
supraclavicular nerve

Question 2

What are the motor branches of the cervical plexus?

Answer 2

ansa cervicalis

phrenic nerve

Question 3

What are the segmental roots of the lesser occipital nerve?

Answer 3

C2

Question 4

What are the segmental roots of the great auricular nerve?

Answer 4

C2-C3

Question 5

What are the segmental roots of the supraclavicular nerve?

Answer 5

C3-C4

Question 6

What are the segmental roots of the transverse cervical nerve?

Answer 6

C2-C3

Question 7

What are the segmental roots of the ansa cervicalis?

Answer 7

C1-C3

Question 8

What are the segmental roots of the Phrenic nerve? Which segment is the major contributor?

Answer 8

C3-C5.

It is mostly C4. C3 and C5 only contribute minorly

Question 9

Which nerves would be affected by a C2 lesion of the spinal nerve?

Answer 9

Lesser occipital (C2), great auricular and transverse cervical nerves (C2-C3), Ansa cervicalis (C1-C3)

Question 10

Which nerve runs along the posterior edge of the SCM? What region does it innervate?

Answer 10

lesser occipital nerve (C2). skin behind the ear.

Question 11

Which nerve crosses the SCM superficially at its midpoint?

Answer 11

transverse cervical nerve (C2-C3)

Question 12

What are the three branches of the supraclavicular nerve?

Answer 12

supraclavicular nerve (C3-C4) has medial, intermediate and lateral branches

Question 13

What has likely happened if a patient exhibits miosis and ptosis?

Answer 13

Miosis is when one pupil is very constricted compared to the other. This is indicative of a sympathetic nerve lesion on the side of pupil constriction (Horner’s syndrome).

Ptosis is eyelid drooping

Question 14

What is a pancoast tumor?

Answer 14

tumor in apex of lung. Can cause horners syndrome.

Question 15

What does middle thryoid vein drain into?

Answer 15

Anterior jugular vein

Question 16

What does inferior thyroid vein drain into?

Answer 16

brachiocephalic vein

Question 17

What are the branches of Vagus nerve?

Answer 17

pharyngeal, superior laryngeal, recurrent laryngeal

Question 18

Starting at the aortic arch and proceeding distally to the axilla, name the branches of the left subclavian artery.

Answer 18

Vertebral artery, thyrocervical trunk, internal thoracic, costocervical trunk, dorsal scapular –>axillary

Question 19

Name the branches of the thyrocervical trunk

Answer 19

suprascapular, transverse cervical, inferior thyroid

Question 20

From medial to lateral, name the longitudinal nerves at the level of the first rib.

Answer 20

Recurrent Laryngeal, Sympathetic Trunk, Vagus, Phrenic, Brachial Plexus (not really longitudinal but correct order)

Question 21

What is the superior pharyngeal artery a branch of?

Answer 21

it is the first branch off the external carotid artery

Question 22

What artery can you get a pulse from on the mandible? What is it a branch of?

Answer 22

facial artery, 4th branch of external carotid artery

Question 23

Name the first five branches of the external carotid artery

Answer 23

superior thyroid, ascending pharyngeal, lingual, facial, occipital

Question 24

Name the tributaries to the external jugular vein

Answer 24

Superficial temporal –> maxillary –> retromandibular –> posterior branch of retromandibular –> external jugular vein

Posterior auricular, posterior external jugular, transverse cervical, suprascapular all enter external jugular more inferiorly before dumping into the subclavian vein

Question 25

Which triangle is the bifuracation of the carotid artery in?

Answer 25

carotid

Question 26

Which triangle does the mylohyoid form the floor of?

Answer 26

submental

Question 27

Which triangle contains the infrahyoid muscles?

Answer 27

muscular

Question 28

Name the contents of the muscular triangle

Answer 28

infrathyroid muscles
thyroid gland
thyroid vessels
thyroid cartilage
trachea

Question 29

Name the contents of the carotid triangle

Answer 29

bifurcation of common carotid artery
first 5 branches of ECA (ext carotid)
Internal Jugular Vein
CN X (vagus)
CN XII (hypoglossal)
both roots of ansa cervicalis (C1-C3)

Question 30

Which nerve crosses the SCM deeply at its midpoint?

Answer 30

CN XI (accessory)

Question 31

How does phrenic nerve pass the anterior scalene to enter the diaphragm?

Answer 31

Passes anterior and medial to insertion of anterior scalene on first rib, then dives deep behind first rib to enter diaphragm