Chapter 20: Neurosurgery

Chapter 20: Neurosurgery

Complete Chapter Questions With Answers

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. What is the term for the bloodless plane that contains loose areolar tissue and permits mobility of the scalp?

ANS:  C

The subgaleal space contains loose areolar tissue that permits mobility of the scalp. It is in this bloodless plane that the standard craniotomy scalp flap is created. The subcutaneous tissue, which is exceptionally dense, tough, and vascular, is firmly attached to the galea. Most of the blood vessels lie superficial to the galea. The pericranium, or outer periosteum of the skull, separates the galea from the cranium.

REF:   Page 818

2. Identify the dura fold that separates the right and left cerebral hemispheres.

ANS:  A

The dura mater is a tough, shiny, fibrous membrane that is close to the inner surface of the skull and folds to separate the cranial cavity into compartments. The largest fold is the falx

cerebri—an arch-shaped, vertically placed, midline structure separating the right and left cerebral hemispheres.

REF:   Page 820

3. An important area of the brain that is critical for learning and memory is the ___________, while emotion and social behavior are regulated by the ____________.

ANS:  D

The hippocampus is critical for learning and memory. The amygdala regulates the perceptive and expressive aspects of emotional and social behavior. The limbic system consists of large parts of the cortex near the medial wall of the cerebral hemisphere (cingulate and parahippocampal gyri) along with the hippocampus, amygdala, and septum. It is closely and significantly connected with the hypothalamus. The limbic system affects endocrine and autonomic functions of the body, recent memory, emotions, behaviors, and motivational and mood states.

REF:   Page 824

4. The brainstem is located in the posterior fossa and forms the floor of the fourth ventricle. It is the site of many ascending and descending fiber tracts that allow for communication among the structures of the brain and between the brain and spinal cord. The brainstem consists of what three structures?

ANS:  B

The brainstem consists of the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata. The short, stocky portion of the brain between the cerebral hemispheres and pons is the midbrain, also referred to as the mesencephalon. The medulla oblongata is continuous with the spinal cord at the foramen magnum. It contains the vital cardiovascular and respiratory regulatory centers. Damage to the brainstem is often devastating and life-threatening, because it can affect movement, senses, consciousness, perception, and cognition.

REF:   Pages 822-825 (Figures 20-7 and 20-9)

5. At each vertebral level is a pair of spinal nerves, each consisting of an anterior and a posterior root. Select the statement that represents true information about motor or sensory distribution.

ANS:  A

The posterior, or sensory, root contains cell bodies that lie in the spinal ganglia located in the intervertebral foramina, the opening through which the nerves exit from the spinal canal and emerge from the cord. In the lumbar region, the course of the nerves is nearly vertical, forming the cauda equina. The normal segmental sensory distribution is valuable in the anatomic localization of sensory disorders. Dermatomes are bands of skin innervated by a sensory root of a single spinal nerve.