PGIMER Entrance Anatomy Syllabus

Anatomy syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Anatomy in PGIMER Entrance, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Gross Anatomy of Limbs and Thorax

   3 topics

   • Upper Limb
     • Brachial plexus roots, trunks, cords and branches
     • Axilla boundaries and contents
     • Cubital fossa and carpal tunnel
     • Anatomical snuffbox and hand spaces
   • Lower Limb
     • Femoral triangle and adductor canal
     • Lumbosacral plexus and sciatic nerve course
     • Arches of the foot and venous drainage
   • Thorax
     • Mediastinum divisions and contents
     • Coronary arterial supply and cardiac conducting system
     • Bronchopulmonary segments and lung root relations
     • Diaphragm openings and contents
2. 2

   Abdomen, Pelvis and Perineum

   4 topics

   • Anterior abdominal wall and inguinal canal
     • Inguinal canal walls and contents
     • Hesselbach triangle and hernia types
   • Peritoneum and gut development
     • Lesser sac and epiploic foramen
     • Midgut rotation and malrotation
   • Portal venous system and portosystemic anastomoses
   • Pelvic diaphragm and pelvic viscera relations
3. 3

   Head, Neck and Neuroanatomy

   5 topics

   • Triangles of the neck and cervical fascia
   • Cranial nerves and their nuclei
     • Course and lesions of facial nerve
     • Extraocular muscles and oculomotor pathways
   • Cerebral blood supply and Circle of Willis
   • Internal capsule, basal ganglia and ventricular system
   • Ascending and descending spinal tracts
4. 4

   Histology and Embryology

   5 topics

   • Epithelium, connective tissue and muscle types
   • Microscopy of liver, kidney and endocrine glands
   • Gametogenesis, fertilization and implantation
   • Germ layer derivatives and pharyngeal arches
   • Congenital anomalies and teratology

Anatomy flashcards for PGIMER Entrance

24 of 51 cards from the Anatomy deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the boundaries of the quadrangular space in the shoulder, and which structures pass through it?

   Boundaries: teres minor (above), teres major (below), long head of triceps (medial), surgical neck of humerus (lateral). Contents: axillary nerve and posterior circumflex humeral artery.

2. Which nerve is most commonly injured in a mid-shaft humeral fracture, and what is the resulting deformity?

   Radial nerve (in the radial/spiral groove). Results in wrist drop due to paralysis of the extensors of wrist and fingers, plus loss of sensation over the dorsum of the first web space.

3. List the contents of the cubital fossa from lateral to medial.

   Biceps tendon, brachial artery, and median nerve (mnemonic: 'TAN' - Tendon, Artery, Nerve). The radial nerve lies under brachioradialis at the lateral margin.

4. What is the order of structures in the femoral triangle from lateral to medial (NAVEL)?

   Femoral Nerve, femoral Artery, femoral Vein, Empty space (femoral canal), Lymphatics. The nerve lies outside the femoral sheath; artery, vein, and canal are within it.

5. Which nerve and artery accompany each other in the adductor (subsartorial/Hunter's) canal, and what does the canal transmit?

   It transmits the femoral artery, femoral vein, saphenous nerve, and the nerve to vastus medialis. The saphenous nerve and nerve to vastus medialis lie in it; the femoral artery becomes the popliteal artery on exiting through the adductor hiatus.

6. What deformity results from injury to the common peroneal (fibular) nerve, and where is it most vulnerable?

   Foot drop with high-stepping gait and loss of dorsiflexion/eversion. Most vulnerable as it winds around the neck of the fibula.

7. Trace the boundaries of the popliteal fossa.

   Superolateral: biceps femoris. Superomedial: semimembranosus and semitendinosus. Inferolateral and inferomedial: lateral and medial heads of gastrocnemius. Roof: deep fascia; floor: popliteal surface of femur, knee capsule, popliteus.

8. What is the order of structures in the popliteal fossa from superficial to deep?

   Tibial nerve (most superficial), then popliteal vein, then popliteal artery (deepest, closest to the bone).

9. Describe the typical course and branching of a posterior intercostal artery in an intercostal space relative to the vein and nerve.

   In the costal groove, structures lie in the order VAN from superior to inferior: intercostal Vein, Artery, Nerve. Needle insertion should be just above the lower rib to avoid them.

10. What structures form the root of the lung (hilum), and how are they arranged?

    Pulmonary artery, two pulmonary veins, main bronchus, bronchial vessels, lymphatics, nerves. Arrangement anteroposteriorly: vein-artery-bronchus (right) and from above down on left: artery-bronchus-veins. Pulmonary veins are most anterior/inferior.

11. Name the structures crossing anterior to the root of the right lung versus the left lung.

    Right lung root: crossed by azygos vein (above) and right phrenic, vagus nerves. Left lung root: arched over by the aortic arch and crossed by left phrenic and vagus nerves.

12. At which vertebral levels do the IVC, esophagus, and aorta pass through the diaphragm?

    IVC at T8 (caval opening), esophagus at T10, aortic hiatus at T12 (mnemonic: 'I 8 10 eggs at 12').

13. What are the layers of the anterior abdominal wall encountered during a surgical incision at the lateral region?

    Skin, Camper's fascia, Scarpa's fascia, external oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis, transversalis fascia, extraperitoneal fat, parietal peritoneum.

14. What are the boundaries of the inguinal canal (anterior, posterior, roof, floor)?

    Anterior wall: external oblique aponeurosis (+ internal oblique laterally). Posterior wall: transversalis fascia (+ conjoint tendon medially). Roof: arching fibres of internal oblique and transversus. Floor: inguinal ligament (+ lacunar ligament medially).

15. How do indirect and direct inguinal hernias differ in relation to the inferior epigastric vessels?

    Indirect hernia passes lateral to the inferior epigastric vessels (through the deep ring); direct hernia passes medial to them (through Hesselbach's triangle/posterior wall).

16. Define Hesselbach's (inguinal) triangle and its boundaries.

    Site of direct inguinal hernias. Boundaries: inferior epigastric artery (laterally), rectus abdominis lateral border (medially), inguinal ligament (inferiorly).

17. What are the contents of the spermatic cord (3 arteries, 3 nerves, 3 other structures)?

    Arteries: testicular, cremasteric, artery to vas deferens. Nerves: genital branch of genitofemoral, sympathetic fibres, ilioinguinal (on the cord, not within). Others: vas deferens, pampiniform plexus, lymphatics. Plus processus vaginalis remnant.

18. Distinguish the intraperitoneal vs retroperitoneal position of duodenal parts.

    First part (cap) is intraperitoneal initially; second, third, and fourth parts are retroperitoneal (secondarily). The duodenum begins intraperitoneal then becomes retroperitoneal at the second part.

19. From which embryonic gut segment does each part of the GI tract derive and what is its arterial supply?

    Foregut (to mid-duodenum): celiac trunk. Midgut (to proximal 2/3 transverse colon): superior mesenteric artery. Hindgut (distal 1/3 transverse colon to upper anal canal): inferior mesenteric artery.

20. What is the embryological cause of an omphalocele versus gastroschisis?

    Omphalocele: failure of physiological midgut herniation to return to the abdomen (covered by peritoneum/amnion, at the umbilicus). Gastroschisis: defect in the anterior abdominal wall lateral to the umbilicus, with no covering membrane.

21. Name the four sites of portosystemic anastomosis and their clinical manifestations.

    1) Lower esophagus (left gastric ↔ azygos) → esophageal varices. 2) Anal canal (superior rectal ↔ middle/inferior rectal) → rectal varices. 3) Periumbilical (paraumbilical ↔ epigastric) → caput medusae. 4) Retroperitoneal (colic ↔ renal/lumbar veins, veins of Retzius).

22. Which veins form the portal vein and at what vertebral level?

    Formed by the union of the superior mesenteric vein and the splenic vein behind the neck of the pancreas at the level of L2. The inferior mesenteric vein usually drains into the splenic vein.

23. What are the components of the pelvic diaphragm and the gap it leaves anteriorly?

    Levator ani (puborectalis, pubococcygeus, iliococcygeus) and coccygeus. Anteriorly it leaves the urogenital hiatus through which the urethra (and vagina in females) passes.

24. Describe the relationship of the ureter to the uterine artery in females.

    The uterine artery crosses anterior (and superior) to the ureter near the lateral fornix of the vagina - 'water (ureter) under the bridge (uterine artery)'. Clinically important during hysterectomy.

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