Perioperative care: positioning nerve injury: practice question

A General Surgery 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.

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General Surgery · Perioperative care: positioning nerve injury

Sample item

After a 5-hour operation in the lithotomy position with leg supports pressing at the lateral side of the knee, a patient has foot drop and loss of sensation over the dorsum of the foot. Which nerve is injured?

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

The answer and the reasoning

A. Common peroneal nerve

The common peroneal nerve winds round the neck of the fibula where it is superficial and easily compressed by leg supports. Injury produces foot drop and sensory loss over the dorsum of the foot. Padding and limits on the duration of lithotomy position prevent it.

Option by option

  • A. Common peroneal nerve (correct)

    Correct. Compression at the fibular neck causes foot drop and dorsal foot sensory loss.

  • B. Femoral nerve

    Femoral nerve injury weakens knee extension and gives anterior thigh sensory loss.

  • C. Obturator nerve

    Obturator nerve injury weakens hip adduction and causes medial thigh numbness.

  • D. Tibial nerve

    Tibial nerve injury causes loss of plantar flexion and sole sensation, not foot drop.

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 General Surgery questions

Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is A, Common peroneal nerve. The common peroneal nerve winds round the neck of the fibula where it is superficial and easily compressed by leg supports.

Why is "Femoral nerve" not the answer?

Femoral nerve injury weakens knee extension and gives anterior thigh sensory loss.

Why is "Obturator nerve" not the answer?

Obturator nerve injury weakens hip adduction and causes medial thigh numbness.

Why is "Tibial nerve" not the answer?

Tibial nerve injury causes loss of plantar flexion and sole sensation, not foot drop.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Perioperative care: positioning nerve injury in General Surgery. Injury produces foot drop and sensory loss over the dorsum of the foot. Padding and limits on the duration of lithotomy position prevent it.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. 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 Perioperative care: positioning nerve injury?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery 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.