In desparate need of anatomy advice =(

[shaker]

I'm a first year med student who did poorly on the first gross anatomy exam of the year, and we have another exam coming soon - its on the abdomen and pelvis. I've studied the relevant body parts listed in Netter (the textbook). So, if you showed me an unlabeled picture of an opened abdomen and pelvis, I could name every significant organ, nerve, artery, etc.

However, the multiple choice tests we get don't just ask us to identify body parts - rather, they test us about the relationships between these body parts. For instance, instead of just asking us to identify the transverse colon, we are asked what body part suspends it, what system of nerves innervate it, what branch of arteries supply it, what level of the spine it's at, how it relates to the peritoneum, etc.

These type of questions hurt my score a lot on the last test, and I've found that simply studying the pictures in Netter is not enough to be able to effectively answer these questions. We have another textbook, Moore, but the volume of information in it is so overwhelming (countless pages of dense text for each region of the body), that I've struggled to make effective use of it. In any event, is there any technique or resource that you guys have used to learn these anatomical relations reasonably efficiently? 😕

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[JackDanielMD]

If you know the blue boxes in Moore's solidly, it will improve your score a lot. I would also recommend BRS Gross Anatomy (Board Review Series).

 

[gro2001]

Once you learn the names and locations of all the structures (as I understand you did from Netter's) its really important to go to the anatomy lab for at least an hour or two to get a grasp of the relationships.

Big Moore is way too dense. The blue boxes have some pretty important clinical information though, so if you have time might be an idea to read those. That would be the last thing on your list though.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Also use BRS Anatomy. I wouldn't have survived without it.

 

[dienekes88]

Gray's Anatomy for Students.

 

[njbmd]

We have another textbook, Moore, but the volume of information in it is so overwhelming (countless pages of dense text for each region of the body), that I've struggled to make effective use of it. In any event, is there any technique or resource that you guys have used to learn these anatomical relations reasonably efficiently? 😕

Read the Blue Boxes in Moore's Clinical Anatomy for Medical Students but purchase, study and learn the material that is in Moore's Essentials of Anatomy (called Baby Moore).

 

[badasshairday]

Clinical Anatomy Made Ridiculousy Simple would be my suggestion.

 

[Prefect]

You're busy learning a lesson which really ought not to surprise you - there are very few instances where one will be confronted with a cadaver flipped open from chin to loin for you to comfortably identify like in Netter - I'll bet that's what the T/F questions are truly there to communicate. Use both methods - going through a plate in Netter thoroughly couldn't take you longer than 2 hours, then you can read EVERYTHING in student Gray's as a basic introduction, and then select essential topics in Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (things like those nerves) and read them (I'd suggest the American version, the British tends to be pedantic, the edition by Carmine de Clemente will serve you well - I'd say the best in the book's 125+ year pedigree) then revise again and again. Make sure you give the information time to sit.

Never ignore lymphatics (know them well)
Never show off your anatomical knowledge unless challenged to defend your honour
NEVER, EVER, offer your help - it shows weakness and pride

 

[dienekes88]

Never ignore lymphatics (know them well)
Never show off your anatomical knowledge unless challenged to defend your honour
NEVER, EVER, offer your help - it shows weakness and pride

Hmmm... I'm starting to see the value of the first two points.

Not sure about that third one. Shouldn't we all try to help one another...?

 

[albe]

Shaker,

The MOST important aspect of learning gross anatomy is the RELATIONSHIPS between the structures (as you pointed out, this was what was asked during your exams). There is no way around that. No patient will fit just like a Netter drawing, but if you understand how the organs are related to each other, you're golden. Understanding this was what helped me get an A in Gross.

If your professors do a good job explaining things, you don't really need to read Moore until you get to Head and Neck. Blue boxes will help for the NBME shelf, if you have to take that.

So you want some tips for doing well in the class itself. The best tip is for you to "tell the story" as you're studying. As you study the various organs/vasculature/nerves, talk ALOUD about where things are. Follow the course of the GI, and talk aloud about what innervates what as you move toward the colon. At what vertebral level does the esophagus pass the diaphragm? Then describe how the stomach/duodenum turns in relation to everything else (pancreas, liver, greater omentum). What are the 2 blood supplies that enter the liver? Where do they come from? What are the ANTERIOR/POSTERIOR/SUPERIOR/INFERIOR to? Take the celiac artery, and talk about its various distributions aloud. What are the anastomes? How does the left renal vein get to the kidney (there's an IMPORTANT relationship here to the Superior Mesenteric Artery. It has a "nutcracker" effect on the left renal vein). Netter is great to start from, but you have to take the initiative to describe these relationships aloud.

For the abdomen, embryology is key. You will NOT be able to understand how the omentum does all those weird folds UNLESS you take the time to look at some animations. Try this site: http://www.indiana.edu/~anat550/embryo_main/

Knowing the embryology will also help you understand the blood supply to the GI.

If your professors aren't helping and you like to consult texts, you may want to look at Gray's Anatomy for Students by Drake. It's an easier read and has nice diagrams to explain some concepts.

Rohen is an atlas of pictures of cadavers. It has fewer labels, but you can see structures in a more 3D pattern.

The detail in BRS is too dense for a shelf exam (great set of practice questions, though). I found Road Map to be much better as far as being a source for review.

None of these books substitutes for talking aloud about the relationships. Try this out, maybe with a study partner, and see how things go. Hope it helps.

 

[badasshairday]

The above advice is good. Make sure you understand the where things are relative to others.