American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

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Prepare for the ABS QE with flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question provides hints and explanations to enhance understanding. Start your journey to becoming a certified surgeon and tackle your exam with confidence!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

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What anatomical structure does the left recurrent laryngeal nerve specifically wrap around?

Left common carotid artery
Aorta
Right subclavian artery
Inferior thyroid artery

The correct answer is: Aorta

The left recurrent laryngeal nerve specifically wraps around the aorta, which is a critical feature in understanding its anatomical course. This nerve branches off from the vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) on the left side and descends into the thorax. As it travels, it loops underneath the aortic arch before ascending back to the neck to innervate the larynx. This anatomical pathway is significant because any surgical procedures involving the aorta may risk injury to the left recurrent laryngeal nerve, potentially leading to complications such as vocal cord paralysis. The unique looping of the nerve around the aorta differentiates it from its right counterpart, which loops around the right subclavian artery. Understanding the pathways and relationships of the recurrent laryngeal nerve with nearby vascular structures is essential for clinicians during both diagnosis and surgical planning.