MCAT question about epidural block

[joanie]

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Wow! This is a great forum, found a lot of help here. I have a question about epidural block. I never learned about it in my bio classes but I came across a question in one of the MCAT prep books and I'm not sure what the answer is. The question asks why epidural block successfully blocks the pain of uterine contractions during labor without blocking the contractions themselves. The choices are: a) the somatic motor neurons innervating the uterus are not affected by the anesthetic, b) injection of the anesthetic occurs too low on the spinal column to affect the uterus, c) the anesthetic does not cross the dura mater and thus does not affect the spinal cord, d) the contractions are stimulated by hormonal stimuli that are not affected by the anesthetic, and e) the blood vessels that pick up and transport the anesthetic do not travel to the uterus. I think the answer is d. Can anyone chime in on this one? Thanks so much!

 

[Hamiltonian]

I would guess A. I'm 51% sure it's right.

 

[IntelInside]

I would say D because we are not dealing with skeletal muscle within the uterus thus A is eliminated

 

[Hamiltonian]

It could be D. Why?

 

[StudyShy]

From my understanding, the uterus does not have somatic nerve cells from the CNS.

I would choose (d) because uterine contractions (smooth muscles) are stimulated by the hormone oxytocin produced by the posterior pituitary gland. This is why pitocin (a synthetic hormone) is given to augment labor and is commonly used in conjunction with epidurals.