Anatomy Mnemonics

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

o Anatomical layers of the scalp (SCALP) mnemonic

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

o Bones in the medial wall of the orbit (My Little Eye Sits in the
orbit) mnemonic
o Maxilla (frontal process)
o Lacrimal
o Ethmoid
o Sphenoid (body)

Cardiovascular Mnemonics
The best cardio mnemonics for medical student finals, OSCEs and MRCP

o Complications of myocardial infarction (DARTH VADER)

o Death
o Arrhythmia
o Rupture (free ventricular wall/ ventricular septum/ papillary muscles)
o Tamponade
o Heart failure (acute or chronic)
o Valve disease
o Aneurysm of ventricle
o Dressler’s syndrome
o thromboEmbolism (mural thrombus)
o Recurrence/ mitral Regurgitation

o Beck’s triad of acute cardiac tamponade (3 D’s)

o Distant heart sounds
o Decreased arterial BP
o Distended neck veins

Respiratory Mnemonics
 The best resp mnemonics for medical student finals, OSCEs and MRCP

Causes of upper zone pulmonary fibrosis (A TEA SHOP)

o ABPA
o
o TB
o Extrinsic allergic alveolitis
o Ankylosing Spondylitis
o Sarcoidosis
o Histiocytosis
o Occupational (silicosis, berylliosis)
o Pneumoconiosis (coal-worker’s)

Aspiration of foreign body (which bronchus is more vertical)

o Inhale a bite, goes down right

Features of a life-threatening asthma attack (A CHEST)

o Arrhythmia/ Altered conscious level

o Cyanosis, PaCO2 normal
o Hypotension, Hypoxia (PaO2<8kPa, SpO2 <92%)
o Exhaustion
o Silent chest
o Threatening PEF < 33% best or predicted (in those >5yrs old)

o Bones in the nasal septum (My Very Fine Nasal SEPtum) mnemonic
o Maxilla
o Vomer
o Frontal
o Nasal
o Sphenoid
o Ethmoid
o Palatine

o Nerves passing through the superior orbital fissure (Live Frankly To See
Absolutely No Insult) mnemonic
o Lacrimal nerve
o Frontal nerve
o Trochlear nerve
o Superior division of oculomotor nerve
o Abducens nerve
o Nasociliary nerve
o Inferior division of oculomotor nerve
o Structures in cavernous sinus and their positions (O TOM
CAT) mnemonic
o Oculomotor nerve
o Trochlear nerve
o Opthalmic branch of trigeminal nerve
o Maxillary branch of trigeminal nerve
o Carotid artery (internal)
o Abducens nerve
o Trochlear nerve

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

o Where trigeminal nerve branches exit the skull (Standing Room

Only) mnemonic
o Superior orbital fissure – V1
o foreman Rotundum – V2
o foreman Ovale – V3
o Branches of the facial nerve (Ten Zulus Bought My Cat) mnemonic
o Temporal
o Zygomatic
o Buccal
o Mandibular
o Cervical

o Brachial plexus (Randy Travis Drinks Cold Beers) mnemonic

o Roots
o Trunks
o Divisions
o Cords
o Branches

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

o Nerve root supply of long thoracic nerve which innervates serratus

anterior
o C5, 6, 7, raise your arms to heaven

o Nerve root supply of phrenic nerve

o C3, 4, 5 keeps the diaphragm alive

o Attachments of pectoralis major, teres major and latissimus dorsi to the

bicipital groove (a lady between two majors)
o Pectoralis major attaches laterally
o Teres major attaches medially
o Latissimus dorsi (‘lady’) attaches to the floor in between

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

o Biceps
o Brachialis
o Brachioradialis
o Hand interossei muscles (PAD DAB)
o Palmar interossei – ADduct
o Dorsal interossei –ABduct

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

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

o Median nerve supply of hand muscles (ulnar nerve supplies all intrinsic
muscles of hands except the LOAF muscles)
o Lateral two lumbricals
o Opponens pollicis
o Abductor pollicis brevis
o Flexor pollicis brevis

o Level of diaphragmatic apertures

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

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

o Position of thoracic duct in relation to oesophagus (left) and azygous

vein (right)
o A duck between two gooses
o Duck = thoracic duct
o Two gooses = oesophagus and azygous vein

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

 o Illiocostalis
o Longissimus
o Spinalis

o Relations of femoral nerve, artery and vein (from lateral to medial NAVY)
o Nerve
o Artery
o Vein
o lYmphatics (femoral canal)

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

o Sartorius
o Adductor longus
o Inguinal Ligament

o Pes anserinus attachments (Say Grace before Tea)

o Sartorius
o Gracilis
o semiTendinosus

o Contents of the tarsal tunnel (from anterior to posterior Tom, Dick And
Very Nervous Harry)
o Tibialis posterior
o flexor Digitorum longus
o Artery (posterior tibial)
o Vein (posterior tibial)
o Nerve (tibial)
o flexor Hallucis longus

o Nerve root innervation of the urethral sphincter, anal sphincter, and

penis (S2, 3, 4 keeps the pee/poo/penis off the floor)
o S2, 3, 4 innervates the anal sphincter, urethral sphincter and causes erection of the penis.

o Relations of ureter and uterine artery/ vas deferens (water runs under
the bridge)
o Ureter (water) runs posteriorly to uterine artery/ vas deferens (bridge)

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

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

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

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