A 25-Year-Old Man Fractures His Right Tibia in a Motor

question 178

Multiple Choice

A 25-year-old man fractures his right tibia in a motor vehicle accident.  His right leg is fixed in a cast and he requires underarm crutches to ambulate.  Two weeks later, he comes to the clinic with right upper-extremity weakness and numbness.  He has no neck or arm pain.  The patient is concerned because he is right handed and cannot perform his duties as an electrician.  On neurologic examination, there is diminished strength on extension of the right wrist with an absent triceps reflex.  Injury to which of the following nerves is most likely responsible for this patient's symptoms?

• A)Accessory
• B)Axillary
• C)Long thoracic
• D)Median
• E)Radial
• F)Suprascapular

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Definitions:

Nitrates

Inorganic compounds made of one nitrogen atom and three oxygen atoms that are commonly found in fertilizers and can be naturally present in water and soil.

Sedentary Lifestyle

A lifestyle characterized by a significant amount of sitting or inactivity, which can lead to health issues.

Intercalated Discs

The junctions between cells in cardiac muscle; contain gap junctions.

Myofibrils

Tiny threadlike structures in the cytoplasm of striated and cardiac muscle that are composed of myosin filaments and actin filaments; these filaments are responsible for muscle contraction; see myosin filaments and actin filaments.