UC Health Assessment
Midterm Exam Questions
and Complete Solutions
Graded A+
Denning [Date] [Course title]
,4 Layers of muscles that form the ventral wall - Answer: Linea alba, tendinous seam, rectus abdominus,
external oblique
Viscera - Answer: internal organs
hollow organs - Answer: shape depends on content (stomach, intestine, colon, bladder, uterus)
Solid organs - Answer: maintain their shape
RUQ - Answer: liver gallbladder, head of pancreas, right kidney and adrenal, hepatic flexure of colon,
part of ascending and transverse colon
LUQ - Answer: stomach, spleen, left lobe of liver, body of pancreas, left kidney and adrenal, splenic
flexure of coon, part of transverse and descending colon
RLQ - Answer: cecum, appendix, right ovary, right ureter, right spermatic cord
LLQ - Answer: part of descending colon, sigmoid colon, left ovary/tube, left ureter, left spermatic cord
midline - Answer: aorta, uterus, bladder
Abnormal findings on inspection - Answer: restless, colicky pain, absolute stillness in gut, knees flexed
and facial grimacing
Abnormal on auscultation - Answer: bruit, no BS
abnormal on percussion - Answer: dullness over distended bladder, fat or fluid filled mass,
hyperresonance with gaseous distention.
abnormal on palpation - Answer: light palpation: muscle guarding, rigidity, large mass and tenderness
,deep palpation: tenderness with local inflammation, peritoneum or organ.
health history clues for abd. CC - Answer: adult: appetite, diet changes, dysphagia, food intolerance,
nutrition concerns, N/V/D, abd pain, bowel habits, medication use, stressors, lifestyle, c/o burning has
upset stomach, blood or urine in stool
infant: colic, distention, poor feeding, vomiting, rigidity, change in elimination
Inspection - Answer: contour, symmetry, umbilicus, skin, striae, pulsations, hair distribution, respiratory
movement.
auscultation - Answer: bowel sounds, vascular sounds, liver border scratch test, bladder distention,
scratch test
percussion - Answer: liver span, spleen, costovertebral angle tenderness, fluid wave, shifting dullness
Palpation - Answer: deep and light, liver spleen, kidneys, aorta, bladder
Mcburneys point - Answer: peritoneal inflammation, apply pressure @ point and release
positive=inflammation
rovsings sign - Answer: associated with peritoneal inflammation press deeply for 5 secs in LLQ pain in
RLQ= positive appendicitis
Murphys - Answer: associated with cholecystitis; palpate at inspiration at liver margin pain at
inspiration= positive murphys
Illiopsoas muscle test - Answer: associated with abd pain/appendicitis, place hand on R thigh and push
down as patient raises leg, pain in RLQ=positive=inflamed appendix
Obtrurator test - Answer: assoc with irritation of obturator muscle flex R leg at hip/knee, rotate leg
internally and externally, pain in hypogastric area= positive sign= ruptured appendix or pelvic abscess
, RF for colorectal cancer - Answer: older age, AA, jewish, eastern european descent, lifestyle, obesity,
smoking, ETOH, diet high in red meats, processed foods, frying, grilling, broiling, ovarian endometrial or
breast CA, hx IBD, type 2 DM, fam hx: colorectal CA or polyps, crohns dx, chronic ulcerative colitis
presentation of colorectal CA - Answer: symptoms often mean advanced dx
rectal bleeding, iron deficiency anemia, abd pain, change in bowel habits, intestinal obstruction or
perforation.
Bowel sounds - Answer: normal sounds are high pitched ever 5-30 secs, irregular high pitched gurgling,
cascading sound.
vascular sounds - Answer: no sound present normally
liver scratch test - Answer: outer margin of liver noted 1-2 cm below R costal margin
bladder - Answer: bladder noted only if full
Percussion - Answer: normally tympanic throughout abd
liver span - Answer: 6-12 cm in range
spleen - Answer: resonance of lungs changes to dullness
costovertebral angle tenderness - Answer: normal is thud with no pain
fluid wave - Answer: no change is normal
shifting dullness - Answer: normal is to only hear tympany throughout. Abd is to hear tympany to
dullness from fluid