Examius
🌍 Pre-Clinical · flashcards
Pre-Clinical Anatomy Flashcards
50 question-and-answer cards covering Anatomy as it is examined in Pre-Clinical. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Anatomy deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
Name the three hamstring muscles and their main actions.
Biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. They flex the knee and extend the hip.
Which muscle is the strongest plantarflexor of the foot, and what tendon does it form?
The gastrocnemius (with soleus, forming the triceps surae) is the main plantarflexor; together they insert via the calcaneal (Achilles) tendon onto the calcaneus.
What is the largest and most superficial muscle of the gluteal region, and its action?
The gluteus maximus; it is the chief extensor and lateral rotator of the thigh at the hip, important in rising from sitting and climbing.
From which spinal segments do the lumbar and sacral plexuses arise?
The lumbar plexus arises from L1-L4 and the sacral plexus from L4-S4.
What is the largest and longest nerve in the body, its roots, and its two terminal branches?
The sciatic nerve (roots L4-S3). It divides into the tibial nerve and the common fibular (peroneal) nerve, usually near the apex of the popliteal fossa.
Which nerve innervates the anterior thigh (quadriceps), and what is its motor deficit if injured?
The femoral nerve (L2-L4). Injury causes loss of knee extension and weakness of hip flexion, plus loss of the patellar (knee-jerk) reflex.
What deficit results from common fibular (peroneal) nerve injury at the neck of the fibula?
Foot drop with loss of dorsiflexion and eversion, a high-stepping (steppage) gait, and sensory loss over the anterolateral leg and dorsum of the foot.
Trace the main arterial supply of the lower limb from the external iliac to the foot.
External iliac → femoral → (popliteal behind the knee) → divides into anterior tibial and posterior tibial arteries; anterior tibial continues as the dorsalis pedis on the foot.
Which is the longest superficial vein in the body, and where does it drain?
The great (long) saphenous vein; it runs up the medial side of the leg and thigh and drains into the femoral vein at the saphenofemoral junction.
Where are the popliteal and dorsalis pedis pulses palpated?
The popliteal pulse is felt deep in the popliteal fossa behind the knee; the dorsalis pedis pulse is felt on the dorsum of the foot, lateral to the extensor hallucis longus tendon.
What bones make up the bony thorax (thoracic cage)?
12 pairs of ribs with their costal cartilages, the sternum anteriorly, and 12 thoracic vertebrae posteriorly.
Classify ribs as true, false, and floating.
True ribs (1-7) attach directly to the sternum via their own costal cartilage. False ribs (8-10) attach indirectly through the cartilage of rib 7. Floating ribs (11-12) have no anterior attachment.
Name the three parts of the sternum.
The manubrium (superior), the body (middle), and the xiphoid process (inferior).
What is the sternal angle (angle of Louis) and its clinical importance?
The palpable ridge at the manubriosternal junction, level with the 2nd costal cartilage. It marks the start of the 2nd rib (for counting ribs), the T4/T5 vertebral level, the bifurcation of the trachea, and the aortic arch.
Name the muscles of the intercostal spaces and their role in breathing.
External intercostals (elevate ribs, aid inspiration), internal intercostals (depress ribs, aid forced expiration), and innermost intercostals. They lie between adjacent ribs and move the rib cage during respiration.
What is the diaphragm, its innervation, and its action?
The diaphragm is the dome-shaped principal muscle of respiration separating the thorax from the abdomen. It is innervated by the phrenic nerve (C3, C4, C5); on contraction it flattens/descends, increasing thoracic volume for inspiration.
Name the major organs contained within the thoracic cavity.
The two lungs (in pleural cavities), the heart (in the pericardium within the mediastinum), plus the esophagus, trachea, thymus, and great vessels in the mediastinum.
Compare the right and left lungs in terms of lobes and fissures.
The right lung has 3 lobes (upper, middle, lower) separated by horizontal and oblique fissures. The left lung has 2 lobes (upper, lower) with a single oblique fissure and a cardiac notch/lingula to accommodate the heart.
What nerve provides motor innervation to the diaphragm, and why can diaphragm pain refer to the shoulder?
The phrenic nerve (C3-C5). Because it carries sensory fibers from the central diaphragm and shares C3-C5 dermatomes with the shoulder (supraclavicular nerves), diaphragmatic irritation refers pain to the shoulder tip.
What structure carries sympathetic ganglia along the thoracic vertebrae, and name the splanchnic nerves.
The sympathetic (thoracic) trunk runs alongside the vertebral bodies. The greater (T5-T9), lesser (T10-T11), and least (T12) splanchnic nerves branch from it to supply abdominal viscera.
Describe the origin and course of the thoracic aorta and its main branches.
The descending thoracic aorta continues from the aortic arch (about T4) and descends through the posterior mediastinum. Its branches include posterior intercostal arteries, bronchial, esophageal, and pericardial branches; it passes through the diaphragm at T12 to become the abdominal aorta.
Name the muscles of the anterolateral abdominal wall from superficial to deep.
External oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis (the three flat lateral muscles), plus the rectus abdominis anteriorly (and pyramidalis).
What is the inguinal canal and what important structure passes through it in males?
An oblique passage through the lower anterior abdominal wall above the inguinal ligament. In males it transmits the spermatic cord (in females, the round ligament of the uterus); it is a common site of hernias.
Name the four quadrants used to describe the abdomen and give one key organ located in the right upper quadrant.
Right upper, left upper, right lower, and left lower quadrants (divided by median and transumbilical planes). The liver (and gallbladder) lies mainly in the right upper quadrant.
What this deck covers
The Anatomy deck follows the Pre-Clinical Anatomy syllabus — 10 chapters and 36 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 5.0 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 170 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Anatomy flashcards FAQ
How many Anatomy flashcards are in this Pre-Clinical deck?
50 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these Pre-Clinical flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 50-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Anatomy cards cover?
They follow the Pre-Clinical Anatomy syllabus — 10 chapters and 36 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.