Chapter 8: Central Nervous System Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following structures is NOT considered part of the brainstem?

a. Pons b. Medulla oblongata c. Diencephalon d. Midbrain

ANS: C REF: p. 250 a. Computed tomography b. Magnetic resonance imaging c. Nuclear medicine d. Sonography

2. Which of the following is the modality of choice for detecting cerebrovascular hemorrhage following acute head trauma?

ANS: A REF: p. 258 a. internal jugular vein b. heart c. peritoneum d. all of the above

3. A ventricular shunt is placed between the ventricles and the _____ to drain excess CSF in patients diagnosed with hydrocephalus.

ANS: D REF: p. 281

4. Since the introduction of CT, the overall mortality rate due to brain abscesses has decreased from more than 40% to less than: a. 30%. b. 15%. c. 5%. d. 0.5%.

ANS: C REF: p. 266 a. Diffusion imaging b. Functional imaging (fMRI) c. Perfusion imaging d. Magnetization transfer

5. Which of the following advanced MR imaging techniques is not useful in supporting a diagnosis of MS?

ANS: B REF: p. 272

6. Noncontrast brain CT scans are most commonly used to diagnose patients with strokelike symptoms because of their: a. high sensitivity to ischemic strokes. b. high sensitivity to hemorrhagic strokes. c. wide availability. d. both b and c.

ANS: D REF: p. 275

7. In children, brain tumors often tend to occur in the: a. brainstem. b. frontal lobe. c. temporal lobes. d. posterior fossa.

ANS: D REF: p. 276

8. Distinguishing clinical features of astrocytomas include: a. fast growing. b. infiltrative tumors. c. high grade of malignancy. d. all of the above.

ANS: B REF: p. 278

9. Meningiomas are fed by the meningeal arteries, often enabling demonstration of an enlarged foramen spinosum and increased meningeal vascular markings on: a. skull radiography. b. contrast-enhanced CT. c. contrast-enhanced MRI. d. all of the above.

ANS: A REF: p. 281 a. Acoustic neuroma b. Acoustic neurilemma c. Schwannoma d. Pituitary adenoma

10. Which of the following is NOT one of three tumors of the peripheral nerve sheath?

ANS: D REF: p. 284 a. Dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater b. Arachnoid mater, dura mater, pia mater c. Pia mater, arachnoid mater, dura mater d. Dura mater, pia mater, arachnoid mater

11. What are the three meningeal layers of the spinal cord, in order, from outermost to innermost?

ANS: A REF: p. 250

12. The primary role of conventional radiography in imaging of the central nervous system includes the demonstration of: a. 1 and 2 only b. 1 and 3 only c. 2 and 3 only d. 1, 2, and 3

1. fractures related to cranial trauma.

2. calcifications related to chronic disease.

3. cerebral aneurysms.

ANS: A REF: p. 253

13. Which of the following pathologic conditions would demonstrate as a decrease in tissue density on CT images of the CNS?

1. Cerebral infarctions

2. Cerebral calcifications

3. CNS cysts a. 1 and 2 only b. 1 and 3 only c. 2 and 3 only d. 1, 2, and 3

ANS: B REF: p. 258 a. CT b. Conventional radiography c. MRI d. Ultrasound

14. What imaging modality is most commonly used to image the brain of neonates?

ANS: D REF: p. 259

15. Which of the following neurologic deficits are associated with a meningomyelocele?

1. Diminished control of the urinary bladder

2. Diminished control of the bowel

3. Diminished control of the lower extremities a. 1 and 2 only b. 1 and 3 only c. 2 and 3 only d. 1, 2, and 3

ANS: C REF: p. 261 a. Bacterial infections b. Fungal infections c. Viral infections d. None of the above

16. What is the most common cause of chronic meningitis?

ANS: A REF: p. 264

17. What are the determining factors of a patient’s prognosis when diagnosed with metastatic brain disease?

1. Age of the individual

2. Number of metastatic lesions present

3. Primary type of malignant disease a. 1 and 2 only b. 1 and 3 only c. 2 and 3 only d. 1, 2, and 3

ANS: C REF: p. 285

TRUE/FALSE

1. Vertebral disks are covered by a tough outer covering called the nucleus pulposus.

ANS: F REF: p. 269

2. Spheres, coils, or beads are used to embolize or occlude cerebral vasculature, as in the case of an aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation (AVM).

ANS: T REF: p. 260

3. Antibiotics are often successful against many forms of meningitis, though antibiotic therapy is never given before a definite diagnosis has been established.

ANS: F REF: p. 264

4. The most common locations for disk herniation are in the lower cervical and lower lumbar regions.

ANS: T REF: p. 268

5. About 80% of all strokes are caused by small vessel disease.

ANS: F REF: p. 273

6. Optimal detail of posterior fossa structures can be obscured by beam-hardening artifact associated with CT, making MRI the initial modality of choice for evaluating patients of all ages.

ANS: T REF: p. 276

7. In patients previously treated for brain neoplasms, who subsequently present with new neurologic complaints, distinguishing between radiation necrosis and tumor recurrence is relatively simple.

ANS: F REF: p. 277

8. Recurrence is common with medulloblastomas, and chemotherapy regimens have not been found to be consistently effective in controlling the recurrence.

ANS: T REF: p. 281

9. The appearance of craniopharyngioma tumors on both CT and MR depends on the solid and cystic components of the mass.

ANS: T REF: p. 284

10. In spinal tumor diagnosis and evaluation, conventional spine radiographs are primarily reserved for demonstrating bony destruction and widening of the vertebral pedicles related to tumor growth.

ANS: T REF: p. 287

11. The blood–brain barrier consists of a network of capillaries that connects the arteries and veins of the brain that prevent the passage of unwanted macromolecules and fluids from leaking into the brain parenchyma.

ANS: T REF: p. 252

12. A contrast-enhanced CT of the spine is the best imaging choice for postoperative patients in the evaluation of scarring when the tissue extends beyond the vertebral interspace.

ANS: F REF: p. 269

13. A hemorrhagic stroke results from a rupture of a blood vessel of the brain due to a weakening in the diseased vessel wall.

ANS: T REF: p. 272