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Question 673
Anatomy → Region
Classification
Question
SSBAQuestion Header
During left hilar surgery, a nerve running anterior to the root of the left lung is injured. Which nerve is most likely to have been damaged?
Question Stem
Select the single best answer.
Options
A
Left vagus nerve
B
Left phrenic nerve
C
Left recurrent laryngeal nerve
D
Left sympathetic trunk
E
Left greater splanchnic nerve
Explanation
Below the aortic arch, the left phrenic nerve crosses in front of the structures forming the root of the left lung. It then descends over the heart between the parietal pericardium and mediastinal pleura. By contrast, the left vagus passes to the posterior aspect of the root of the left lung.
Option Validity
A) The left vagus passes to the posterior aspect of the root of the left lung.
C) The recurrent laryngeal nerve is a branch of the vagus and is not the nerve described crossing anterior to the lung root.
D) The sympathetic trunk is not described in this anterior hilar relationship.
E) The greater splanchnic nerve does not have the stated relationship to the root of the left lung.
Further Reading
Saxena R. Textbook for MRCOG-1. Chapter 2: Anatomy, p.13.