Hand: hook of hamate and ulnar nerve: practice question

A Anatomy question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

Try it

Anatomy · Hand: hook of hamate and ulnar nerve

Sample item

A golfer has pain on the ulnar side of the palm after fracture of the hook of the hamate. He has weak grip and cannot spread his fingers, but sensation over the little finger and hypothenar eminence is normal. Which structure is injured, and why is sensation spared?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. The deep branch of the ulnar nerve, which is purely motor while the superficial branch carries cutaneous fibres

In the hand the ulnar nerve divides near the pisiform into a superficial branch, which is sensory to the palmar side of the little finger and half the ring finger, and a deep motor branch. The deep branch winds around the hook of the hamate to supply the hypothenar muscles, interossei, medial two lumbricals and adductor pollicis. A hamate fracture thus produces motor weakness with intact sensation.

Option by option

  • A. The superficial branch of the ulnar nerve, which supplies the interossei and hypothenar muscles

    The superficial branch is sensory and supplies palmaris brevis, not the interossei.

  • B. The ulnar nerve trunk at the elbow, since the sensory branches arise below the lesion

    A lesion at the elbow would take away sensation of the little finger because the sensory branches arise distally.

  • C. The recurrent branch of the median nerve, which supplies the interossei and the little finger

    The median nerve does not supply the interossei or the little finger.

  • D. The deep branch of the ulnar nerve, which is purely motor while the superficial branch carries cutaneous fibres (correct)

    Correct. The deep branch is exclusively motor and is the branch that curves around the hook of the hamate.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More Anatomy questions

Questions about this Anatomy question

What is the answer to this Anatomy question?

The best answer is D, The deep branch of the ulnar nerve, which is purely motor while the superficial branch carries cutaneous fibres. In the hand the ulnar nerve divides near the pisiform into a superficial branch, which is sensory to the palmar side of the little finger and half the ring finger, and a deep motor branch.

Why is "The superficial branch of the ulnar nerve, which supplies the interos…" not the answer?

The superficial branch is sensory and supplies palmaris brevis, not the interossei.

Why is "The ulnar nerve trunk at the elbow, since the sensory branches arise…" not the answer?

A lesion at the elbow would take away sensation of the little finger because the sensory branches arise distally.

Why is "The recurrent branch of the median nerve, which supplies the inteross…" not the answer?

The median nerve does not supply the interossei or the little finger.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Hand: hook of hamate and ulnar nerve in Anatomy. The deep branch winds around the hook of the hamate to supply the hypothenar muscles, interossei, medial two lumbricals and adductor pollicis. A hamate fracture thus produces motor weakness with intact sensation.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Hand: hook of hamate and ulnar nerve?

Learn every nerve by its route, its muscles and what a lesion looks like at the bedside. That one habit answers a large share of questions. Then use the flashcards and the other Anatomy questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.