Copied from UH re: pimp questions:
"The majority of cases you'll see and the pimp questions will probably come from Greenberg. Here's a few highlights to hit (Chapters are listed in order from the 5th Edition, so they may not be accurate if you have other editions):
Study the chapter on Spine (useful in clinic where you are alone with the attending, cervical disc and lumbar disc disease is particularly high yield) and Spine trauma. If the spine trauma chapter is too dense, know what a Jefferson fracture is, know the three types of Odontoid fracture, know a hangman's fracture, a chance fracture and a clayshoveller's fracture for the cervical spine. Know the three column theory from Denis and when spine is unstable. Know the difference between a burst and a compression fracture, know which is a flexion vs extension injury.
Know the head trauma chapter 24 for ICP issues (almost dead sure you'll get some stuff in this arena). Also read the section on seizure prophylaxis after TBI.
Read the chapter on coma and know the GCS grading.
Read the first two or three pages on the chapter on CSF Chp 7, know the components of CSF and that CSF glucose is 2/3 of serum glucose and the ratio of WBC to RBC etc.
Know some of the famous signs/syndromes/triads etc: Foster Kennedy, Parinaud's, Kernohan's, Monroe-Kellie, Cushing's Triad etc
Read the section in Chp 23 Operations and procedures regarding LP, Ventricular catherization, Ventriculostomy/ICP monitoring and VP Shunts.
If you read the SAH chapter, definitely know the Hunt/Hess grading and the Fisher grading and what they represent. Know the triple H therapy for spasm. In addition, you might want to know about the IUSIA literature on unruptured aneurysms and the ISAT trial on coiling vs clipping of aneurysms
Chp 28 Vasc Malformations: Know the annual hemorrhage rate of AVMs, know the Spetzler Martin grading for AVMs. Know that venous angiomas don't bleed even though they're occasionally associated with cav mals which do bleed. Know that cav mals don't show up on angios and know what they look like on MRI and why (hint, popcorn lesion due to hemosiderin).
Chp 29 is ICH, there's tons of literature about this disease, i"m sure the 6th edition is updated with the literature regarding not operating on large deep L sided ICHs.
Chp 32 is good to give a differential by location. Favorites include suprasellar lesions: SATCHMO (Sarcoid, Adenoma/Aneurysm, Teratoma/tumor, Craniopharyngioma, hemangioblastoma, meningioma, other) posterior fossa lesions and intraventricular lesions as wells as extra-medullary intradural spinal tumors. Hint, different age groups also have different lists of etiologies which Chp 32 spoon feeds the reader!
Most MS4s know their anatomy cold, but just in case, make sure you know your cranial foraminas and the structures that pass through them (F ovale, rotundum and spinosum are favorites) as well as the anatomy of the cavernous sinus (do you know which structures run along the wall and which run in the center of the cav sinus? Greenberg has a figure showing the answer to this favorite pimp question).
Don't forget to have fun during your sub-I and always work hard and never complain!"
