Surgery Clerkship – Amboss Exam
Questions and Answers 100% Pass
What is the post exposure prophylaxis with tetanus exposure? - ✔✔
What are ABG findings for ARDS? How to treat? - ✔✔low PaCO2 and low Pa O2.
Increasing PEEP will help with both expanding collapsed alveoli and decrease fluid in
pulmonary edema
What is treatment for SCLC? - ✔✔polychemo (cisplatin and etoposide) and radiation
therapy. SCLC is usually unresectable.
Approach to solitary pulm nodule: what to do when you see solitary pulm nodule on
CXR?? - ✔✔WIth no previous CXR, go to CT. If there is previous CXR, look for any
changes. If no changes, yearly f/u. If yes changes, look at size. Less than 4mm, look at
probability of malignancy and follow up with CT at various intervals depending on
low/intermediate/high risk. IF nodule greater than 8mm: go to PET scan. THen biopsy.
How is lung nodule biopsy performed for peripheral nodules? Central? - ✔✔Peripheral:
CT guided transthoracic biopsy. Central: bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsy
What are findings in retrophharyngeal abscess? - ✔✔Usually d/t tonsillitis or
endoscopy. CAn spread along cervical fascia to cause mediastinitis (chest pain, widened
mediastinum).
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,Findings include neck pain, sore throat, trismus
Treatment for retropharyngeal abscess? - ✔✔Amp-sulbactam
How does one diagnose ovarian cyst? - ✔✔Pelvic US. Should show smooth lining on all
sides, hypoechoic/anechoic, fluid levels.
What type of cancer is associated with ionizing radiation (thyroid)? - ✔✔Papillary.
What are signs of medullary thyroid carcinoma? - ✔✔dysphagia, hoarseness, elevated
calcitonin, irregular margins and microcalcifications
What is the difference between barium swallow and modified barium swallow?
Indication for each? - ✔✔barium swallow: also called esophogogram via barium
swallow. It is serial x rays used to evaluate the esophagus.
Barium swallow
Modified: this is barium swallow with videofluorosocpy. study of choice for looking at
ASPIRATION.
MBS: oral, pharyngeal, upper esophagus.
Barium Swallow: transit from mouth to stomach.
Contraindication for barium oral intake? What do you use instead? - ✔✔perforation.
Use gastrograffin instead.
Where are the depolarizing foci located in Afib? WPW? Aflutter? - ✔✔Near the
pulmonary vein
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, WPW: bundle of kent
Aflutter: cavotricuspid isthmus
Where to ablate in someone with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with severe LVOT
obstruction? - ✔✔Alcohol septal ablation of the basal interventricular septum
What is lichen sclerosis? - ✔✔white plaques with scarring. Commonly anogenital.
Commonly postmenopausal women. Can cause scarring of urehtral meatus (which
would require meatoplasty)
What are biopsy options for breast masses? - ✔✔FNA: for symptomatic patients
Core needle biopsy: for patients with suspicious looking lesions.
Simple cyst: anechoic, clear margins, posterior shadowing (same as simple renal cyst)
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome patients are at increased risk of what cancers? - ✔✔ovarian,
breast and pancreatic. Also CRC (40% lifetime risk).
What is Peutz Jeughers syndrome? - ✔✔hamartomatous hereditary polyposis with few
polyps through out GI tract, mainly in jejunum.
Symptoms include hematochezia, constipation, diarrhea, MUCOCUTANEOUS
HYPERPIGMENTATION
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
Questions and Answers 100% Pass
What is the post exposure prophylaxis with tetanus exposure? - ✔✔
What are ABG findings for ARDS? How to treat? - ✔✔low PaCO2 and low Pa O2.
Increasing PEEP will help with both expanding collapsed alveoli and decrease fluid in
pulmonary edema
What is treatment for SCLC? - ✔✔polychemo (cisplatin and etoposide) and radiation
therapy. SCLC is usually unresectable.
Approach to solitary pulm nodule: what to do when you see solitary pulm nodule on
CXR?? - ✔✔WIth no previous CXR, go to CT. If there is previous CXR, look for any
changes. If no changes, yearly f/u. If yes changes, look at size. Less than 4mm, look at
probability of malignancy and follow up with CT at various intervals depending on
low/intermediate/high risk. IF nodule greater than 8mm: go to PET scan. THen biopsy.
How is lung nodule biopsy performed for peripheral nodules? Central? - ✔✔Peripheral:
CT guided transthoracic biopsy. Central: bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsy
What are findings in retrophharyngeal abscess? - ✔✔Usually d/t tonsillitis or
endoscopy. CAn spread along cervical fascia to cause mediastinitis (chest pain, widened
mediastinum).
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,Findings include neck pain, sore throat, trismus
Treatment for retropharyngeal abscess? - ✔✔Amp-sulbactam
How does one diagnose ovarian cyst? - ✔✔Pelvic US. Should show smooth lining on all
sides, hypoechoic/anechoic, fluid levels.
What type of cancer is associated with ionizing radiation (thyroid)? - ✔✔Papillary.
What are signs of medullary thyroid carcinoma? - ✔✔dysphagia, hoarseness, elevated
calcitonin, irregular margins and microcalcifications
What is the difference between barium swallow and modified barium swallow?
Indication for each? - ✔✔barium swallow: also called esophogogram via barium
swallow. It is serial x rays used to evaluate the esophagus.
Barium swallow
Modified: this is barium swallow with videofluorosocpy. study of choice for looking at
ASPIRATION.
MBS: oral, pharyngeal, upper esophagus.
Barium Swallow: transit from mouth to stomach.
Contraindication for barium oral intake? What do you use instead? - ✔✔perforation.
Use gastrograffin instead.
Where are the depolarizing foci located in Afib? WPW? Aflutter? - ✔✔Near the
pulmonary vein
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, WPW: bundle of kent
Aflutter: cavotricuspid isthmus
Where to ablate in someone with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with severe LVOT
obstruction? - ✔✔Alcohol septal ablation of the basal interventricular septum
What is lichen sclerosis? - ✔✔white plaques with scarring. Commonly anogenital.
Commonly postmenopausal women. Can cause scarring of urehtral meatus (which
would require meatoplasty)
What are biopsy options for breast masses? - ✔✔FNA: for symptomatic patients
Core needle biopsy: for patients with suspicious looking lesions.
Simple cyst: anechoic, clear margins, posterior shadowing (same as simple renal cyst)
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome patients are at increased risk of what cancers? - ✔✔ovarian,
breast and pancreatic. Also CRC (40% lifetime risk).
What is Peutz Jeughers syndrome? - ✔✔hamartomatous hereditary polyposis with few
polyps through out GI tract, mainly in jejunum.
Symptoms include hematochezia, constipation, diarrhea, MUCOCUTANEOUS
HYPERPIGMENTATION
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY BRITTIE DONALD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
