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Anatomy Mnemonics

The best anatomy mnemonics for medical student finals, OSCEs and MRCP

 

  • Anatomical layers of the scalp (SCALP) mnemonic

    • Skin
    • Connective tissue
    • Aponeurosis (galea)
    • Loose connective tissue
    • Periosteum

 

  • Bones in the medial wall of the orbit (My Little Eye Sits in the orbit) mnemonic

    • Maxilla (frontal process)
    • Lacrimal
    • Ethmoid
    • Sphenoid (body)

 

  • Bones in the nasal septum (My Very Fine Nasal SEPtum) mnemonic

    • Maxilla
    • Vomer
    • Frontal
    • Nasal
    • Sphenoid
    • Ethmoid
    • Palatine

 

  • Nerves passing through the superior orbital fissure (Live Frankly To See Absolutely No Insult) mnemonic

    • Lacrimal nerve
    • Frontal nerve
    • Trochlear nerve
    • Superior division of oculomotor nerve
    • Abducens nerve
    • Nasociliary nerve
    • Inferior division of oculomotor nerve

 

  • Structures in cavernous sinus and their positions (O TOM CAT) mnemonic

    • Oculomotor nerve
    • Trochlear nerve
    • Opthalmic branch of trigeminal nerve
    • Maxillary branch of trigeminal nerve
    • Carotid artery (internal)
    • Abducens nerve
    • Trochlear nerve

cavernous sinus

  • Contents and structures draining into the cavernous sinus (Rule of 3’s)

    • 3 afferent veins:
      • Sphenoparietal sinus
      • Superficial middle cerebral vein
      • Ophthalmic vein
    • 3 efferent veins:
      • Superior petrosal sinus
      • Inferior petrosal sinus
      • Communicating vein to pterygoid plexus
    • 3 areas draining into it:
      • Cranial vault bones
      • Brain
      • Orbit
    • 3 contents
      • Cranial nerve III
      • Cranial nerve IV
      • Cranial nerve V (only V1 and V2 branches)
    • 3 nerves
      • Motor (III, IV, VI)
      • Sensory (V1, V2)
      • Sympathetic

 

  • Where trigeminal nerve branches exit the skull (Standing Room Only) mnemonic

    • Superior orbital fissure – V1
    • foreman Rotundum – V2
    • foreman Ovale – V3

 

  • Branches of the facial nerve (Ten Zulus Bought My Cat) mnemonic

    • Temporal
    • Zygomatic
    • Buccal
    • Mandibular
    • Cervical

 

  • Brachial plexus (Randy Travis Drinks Cold Beers) mnemonic

    • Roots
    • Trunks
    • Divisions
    • Cords
    • Branches

 

  • Nerve root supply of deep tendon reflexes (one, two – buckle my shoe, three, four – kick the door, five, six – pick up sticks, seven, eight – shut the gate)

    • S1, S2 – ankle jerk
    • L3, L4 – knee jerk
    • C5, C6 – biceps and brachioradialis
    • C7, C8 – triceps

 

    • Nerve root supply of long thoracic nerve which innervates serratus anterior

      • C5, 6, 7, raise your arms to heaven

 

    • Nerve root supply of phrenic nerve

      • C3, 4, 5 keeps the diaphragm alive

 

    • Attachments of pectoralis major, teres major and latissimus dorsi to the bicipital groove (a lady between two majors)

      • Pectoralis major attaches laterally
      • Teres major attaches medially
      • Latissimus dorsi (‘lady’) attaches to the floor in between

 

    • Muscles involved in elbow flexion (3 B’s Bend the elbow)

      • Biceps
      • Brachialis
      • Brachioradialis

 

    • Hand interossei muscles (PAD DAB)

      • Palmar interossei – ADduct
      • Dorsal interossei –ABduct

 

    • Wrist bones (She Likes To Play, Try To Catch Her)

      • Scaphoid
      • Lunate
      • Triquetrum
      • Pisiform
      • Trapezium
      • Trapezoid
      • Capitate
      • Hamate

 

    • Median nerve supply of hand muscles (ulnar nerve supplies all intrinsic muscles of hands except the LOAF muscles)

      • Lateral two lumbricals
      • Opponens pollicis
      • Abductor pollicis brevis
      • Flexor pollicis brevis

 

    • Level of diaphragmatic apertures

      • Vena cava = 8 letters = T8
      • Oesophagus = 10 letters = T10
      • Aortic hiatus = 12 letters = T12

 

    • Alternatively

      • ‘I ate ten eggs at twelve’
      • ‘I ate’ = IVC at T8
      • ‘ten eggs’ = oesophagus at T10
      • ‘at twelve’ = aorta at T12

 

    • Position of thoracic duct in relation to oesophagus (left) and azygous vein (right)

      • A duck between two gooses
      • Duck = thoracic duct
      • Two gooses = oesophagus and azygous vein

 

    • Paired erector spinae muscles from lateral to medial (I Like Standing)

      • Illiocostalis
      • Longissimus
      • Spinalis

 

    • Relations of femoral nerve, artery and vein (from lateral to medial NAVY)

      • Nerve
      • Artery
      • Vein
      • lYmphatics (femoral canal)

 

    • Borders of the femoral triangle (shaped like a SAIL)

      • Sartorius
      • Adductor longus
      • Inguinal Ligament

 

    • Pes anserinus attachments (Say Grace before Tea)

      • Sartorius
      • Gracilis
      • semiTendinosus

 

    • Contents of the tarsal tunnel (from anterior to posterior Tom, Dick And Very Nervous Harry)

      • Tibialis posterior
      • flexor Digitorum longus
      • Artery (posterior tibial)
      • Vein (posterior tibial)
      • Nerve (tibial)
      • flexor Hallucis longus

 

    • Nerve root innervation of the urethral sphincter, anal sphincter, and penis (S2, 3, 4 keeps the pee/poo/penis off the floor)

      • S2, 3, 4 innervates the anal sphincter, urethral sphincter and causes erection of the penis.

 

    • Relations of ureter and uterine artery/ vas deferens (water runs under the bridge)

      • Ureter (water) runs posteriorly to uterine artery/ vas deferens (bridge)

 

    • Innervation of the penis (Point, Shoot, Score)

      • Parasympathetic (erection)
      • Sympathetic (emission and ejaculation)

 

  • Layers of the scrotum (Some Damn Englishmen Called It The Testis)

    • Skin
    • Dartos
    • External spermatic fascia
    • Cremaster muscle
    • Internal spermatic fascia
    • Tunica vaginalis
    • Testis

 

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Common mnemonics for medical student exams, finals, OSCEs and MRCP PACES