American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

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The right recurrent laryngeal nerve loops around which anatomical structure?

Aorta
Innominate artery
Left common carotid artery
Right subclavian artery

The correct answer is: Innominate artery

The right recurrent laryngeal nerve loops around the right subclavian artery. This anatomical relationship is critical for understanding the nerve's course and potential implications during surgical procedures, particularly in the neck and thoracic regions. The right recurrent laryngeal nerve branches off the vagus nerve and descends to loop under the right subclavian artery. After this loop, it travels back up towards the larynx, which is essential for controlling vocal cord movement and function. Knowledge of this anatomy is crucial in avoiding injury to the nerve during surgical interventions, particularly when working in the vicinity of the thyroid gland or aortic arch structures. The other anatomical structures listed, such as the aorta, left common carotid artery, and innominate artery, are associated with the left recurrent laryngeal nerve or are located in a different area of the thoracic cavity. Each of these structures is important in the larger context of thoracic anatomy and the course of the vagus nerve, but they are not the looping point for the right recurrent laryngeal nerve.