Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Eponyms

When I was sitting around work the other day, I found a "medical crossword puzzle" lying around. All the answers were eponyms (i.e. signs named after people). These were the clues (I copied them down):

1. Referred pain to left shoulder from blood irritating diaphragm
2. Head lifts as you attempt to flatten knees
3. Inability to stand steadily with eyes closed
4. Ecchymosis over mastoid bone
5. "Cracked pot" sound when skull is percussed
6. Knees and hip flexed when head flexed
7. Pain when toes/ankle dorsiflexed
8. Carpopedal spasm when BP cuff inflates 3-4 minutes
9. Ecchymosis around umbilicus
10. Bluish discoloration of flank
11. Tapping facial nerve elicits twitching
12. Dark discoloration of oral mucosa and lips due to ingestion of grape juice

I definitely did not remember all of them and there are a few I'm not sure I ever knew. Without cheating and looking it up, how many can you get?

15 comments:

  1. 3. Romberg's
    4. Battle Sign
    5. Brugzinski (I think)
    9. Turner's Sign
    10. Grey-Turner
    11. Chvostek Sign

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  2. 3. Romberg

    I only know that because of KayTar...but I'm just a little premed. ;)

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  3. Yep, I only knew 3. Romberg and 11. Chvostek. And 8. sort of sounds like Troussou's?

    ...Good thing I write Step 1 in a few weeks! gah.

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  4. 1. Kerr
    2. Kernig
    3. Rhomberg
    4. Battle? I never knew that was an eponym! I thought it was that you got head injuries in battle! hahah
    6. Brudninsky
    7. Homan
    8. Trousseau
    11. Sounds like Russian figure skater...starts with C?

    We are completely discouraged from ever using any eponymous terms and our anatomy prof won't accept any as answers in our class.

    This proved to be a handicap this summer when I was getting pimped by old school surgeons and had no idea what the sphincter of Oddi was.

    Clearly it wouldn't help in the case of an eponymous crossword puzzle as well!

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  5. 1. ?
    2. Kernig
    3. Rhomberg
    4. Battle
    5. ?
    6. Brudzinksky
    7. ?Homan
    8. Trousseau
    9. Cullen
    10. Grey Turner
    11. Chvostek
    12. ??????

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  6. Wow...This is sad. I'm in medical school and should know these but...

    1. Not sure of the name
    2. Indicates meningeal irritation, I think, but not sure of the name
    3. Indicates loss of proprioception, and it’s right on the tip of my tongue…
    4. Battle’s sign? indicating basilar skull fracture
    5. Never heard of this one
    6. Indicates meningeal irritation, but not sure of the name
    7. Not sure of the name
    8. Indicates hypocalcemia, but not sure of the name
    9. Cullen sign? Indicating either hemoperitoneum or retroperitoneal hemorrhage
    10. Turner sign? Indicating retroperitoneal hemorrhage
    11. Chvostek’s sign indicating hypocalcemia
    12. Never heard of this one…pseudocyanosis maybe?

    I’m absolutely terrible with names. Believe it or not, I actually remember patients better by their medical record number. At least I remembered the point of most of these signs, right? Of course, this might have been easier if we had had the number of letters. ;)

    Well, I’ve got some studying to do, obviously…

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  7. 1. Referred pain to left shoulder from blood irritating diaphragm
    - Kehr's?

    2. Head lifts as you attempt to flatten knees
    - I think that's Kernig's, I always get those two mixed up.

    3. Inability to stand steadily with eyes closed
    - Romberg, I think...

    4. Ecchymosis over mastoid bone
    - Battle's ?

    5. "Cracked pot" sound when skull is percussed
    - Winterbottom's? I remember that has something to do with your head or the top of your neck...

    6. Knees and hip flexed when head flexed
    - see #2 - Brudzynski's?

    7. Pain when toes/ankle dorsiflexed
    - Homans?

    8. Carpopedal spasm when BP cuff inflates 3-4 minutes
    - I think that's Trousseau's

    9. Ecchymosis around umbilicus
    - Cullen ?

    10. Bluish discoloration of flank
    - Grey-Turner?

    11. Tapping facial nerve elicits twitching
    - pretty sure that's Chovstek's (sp)?

    12. Dark discoloration of oral mucosa and lips due to ingestion of grape juice
    - ?????


    Now here are some for you, in reverse:

    - Prehn's
    - Throckmorton's
    - Russell's

    ...ugh I can't think of any others!

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  8. @Marcus - Throckmorton's. LMAO, anytime you can use that you know it's going to be a good day.

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  9. lowly MS2 here:
    2. Kernig
    3. Romberg
    6. Brudzinski (almost positive I spelled that wrong, and I always get this and kernig's sign mixed up)
    8. Trousseau's sign
    11. Chvostek's sign

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  10. I got Romberg off the bat (because I had to do that today). Kernig and Bruzinski I knew, but couldn't think of the name of. The others I don't have a clue on.

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  11. Was really surprised that Throckmorten's sign didn't make an appearance.

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  12. I didn't remember 1,5 and 15.

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  13. There should be a separate eponym for when you can call Throckmorton's on a chest radiograph

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