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Clinical cases
Each case is a short vignette worked through in steps — where is the lesion, what will you find, which test, what next. New findings appear as you go, and every explanation links to the entries behind it.
Back pain and foot drop
Sciatica with a foot drop. Is it the L5 root or the common fibular nerve?
4 steps
ThoraxA drooping eyelid and shoulder pain in a smoker
Shoulder pain, hand wasting and a small pupil — put the pieces of a lower plexus and sympathetic lesion together.
4 steps
ThoraxChest pain with a slow pulse
An inferior STEMI with bradycardia, then hypotension, then a new murmur. Follow the right coronary artery.
4 steps
ThoraxStab wound to the chest
Hypotension after penetrating chest trauma — make the clinical diagnosis and place the needle and tube safely.
4 steps
AbdomenPain that moves to the right lower quadrant
Periumbilical pain that migrates — explain the pain, find the landmarks and pick the scan.
4 steps
Pelvis & PerineumBlood at the urethral meatus
Two urethral injuries — a straddle fall and a pelvic fracture — and where the urine goes in each.
4 steps
Pelvis & PerineumCollapse in early pregnancy
Abdominal pain and shock with a positive pregnancy test — find the blood and the source.
4 steps
Pelvis & PerineumSudden scrotal pain at night
A teenager woken by severe testicular pain. Tell torsion from epididymitis and act within hours.
4 steps
Upper LimbA shoulder forced back while blocking
A volleyball player's shoulder dislocates. Name the direction, the nerve to check and the lesions to look for.
4 steps
Upper LimbFall on an outstretched hand
Radial wrist pain after a fall, with normal X-rays. Don't miss the scaphoid.
4 steps
Upper LimbNumb fingers that wake her at night
Night-time tingling relieved by shaking the hand. Localize it, explain the spared palm, and plan the work-up.
4 steps
Upper LimbWrist drop after a night on the sofa
A man wakes unable to lift his wrist. Localize the lesion along the radial nerve.
4 steps
Lower LimbA pop in the knee on landing
A basketball player's knee gives way on landing. Name the injury, the test and the triad.
4 steps
Lower LimbAn older woman who can't stand after a fall
A shortened, externally rotated leg after a fall. Confirm the fracture and understand why the head can die.
4 steps
Lower LimbSevere pain under a new cast
Pain out of proportion after a tibial fracture. Recognize compartment syndrome before the late signs appear.
4 steps
Head & NeckA sore throat with a "hot potato" voice
A worsening sore throat with trismus and a deviated uvula. Name it, locate the pus and know where it can spread.
4 steps
Head & NeckA swollen floor of the mouth after a toothache
Woody submandibular swelling after a dental infection — an airway emergency.
4 steps
NeuroanatomyA lucid interval after a blow to the head
A young man talks normally after a head injury, then deteriorates. Identify the bleed and the herniation.
4 steps
NeuroanatomySudden aphasia and arm weakness
An older man with atrial fibrillation suddenly can't find his words. Localize the stroke and decide on treatment.
4 steps
NeuroanatomyVertigo and hoarseness after neck manipulation
Crossed sensory loss, hoarseness and Horner syndrome — a brainstem stroke with a classic cause.
4 steps