Articles
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More than 200 results
Article
Seizure causes (mnemonic)
A mnemonic to remember the commonest causes of seizures is:
VITAMIN
Mnemonic
V: vascular
I: infection
T: trauma
A: AV malformation
M: metabolic
I: idiopathic
N: neoplasm
Article
FIGO classification system for the causes of abnormal uterine bleeding in non-gravid women of reproductive age (mnemonic)
The FIGO classification system for the causes of abnormal uterine bleeding in non-gravid women of reproductive age has a mnemonic at its core 1:
PALM-COEIN
The "PALM" causes are considered structural and the "COEIN" (coin) causes are considered non-structural.
Mnemonic
P: polyp
A: adenomyos...
Article
Pulmonary nodules with air bronchograms (mnemonic)
A helpful mnemonic for causes of pulmonary nodules with air bronchograms is:
OBALLS
Mnemonic
OBALLS
O: organizing pneumonia
B: bronchoalveolar carcinoma (adenocarcinoma)
A: acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
L: lymphoma
L: lipoid pneumonia
S: sarcoidosis
Another consideration i...
Article
T2 hyperintense basal ganglia (mnemonic)
A helpful mnemonic to recall the causes of T2 hyperintense basal ganglia is:
LINT
Mnemonic
L: lymphoma
I: ischemia
N: neurodegenerative conditions
T: toxins
See also
For a more detailed differential please see the basal ganglia T2 hyperintensity article.
Article
Bronchovascular spread (mnemonic)
A mnemonic to remember diseases that undergo bronchovascular spread is:
SKILL
Mnemonic
S: sarcoidosis
K: Kaposi sarcoma
I: infection (e.g. pneumocystis pneumonia, tuberculosis)
L: lymphoma
L: lymphangitis carcinomatosis
Article
Brachial plexus root subdivisions (mnemonic)
Mnemonics for brachial plexus root subdivisions include:
Rad Techs Drink Cold Beer
Robbie T Drinks Cold Beer
Rugby Teams Drink Cold Beers
Reach To Drink Cold Beer
Read That Damn Cadaver Book
Really Tired, Don't Care Now (nerve instead of branch)
Red Toucans Don't Come Back
Mnemonic
Whe...
Article
Causes of dementia (mnemonic)
The causes of dementia can be remembered using the mnemonics:
VANISHED
DEMENTIA
VANISHED
V: vascular, vitamin deficiency: B1, B6, B12, folate
A: Alzheimer disease, autoimmune: cerebral vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosus
N: normal pressure hydrocephalus, neoplasia
I: infection, e.g. ...
Article
Red flags of low back pain (mnemonic)
Low back pain is a very common condition among primary care patients. Most patients have nonspecific low back pain (85-90%) and would have unremarkable radiographs. The purpose of the red flags is to aid in the recommendation for imaging of the spine. A mnemonic to remember the red flags of low ...
Article
3-6-9 rule (bowel)
The 3-6-9 rule is a simple aide-memoire describing the normal bowel caliber:
small bowel: <3 cm
large bowel: <6 cm
appendix: <6 mm
cecum: <9 cm
Above these dimensions, the bowel is generally considered dilated, and obstruction or an adynamic/paralytic ileus should be considered.
Article
Branches of the thoracoacromial artery (mnemonic)
Useful mnemonics to remember the four branches of the thoracoacromial artery are:
ABCD
CAlifornia Police Department
Cadavers Are Dead People
PACkeD
Mnemonics
ABCD
A: acromial
B: breast (pectoral)
C: clavicular
D: deltoid
CAlifornia Police Department
C: clavicular
A: acromial
P: pe...
Article
Marginal artery of Drummond and arc of Riolan (mnemonic)
Remembering the colon vascular supply can be confusing because of inconstant collateral vascularization, therefore mnemonics can be helpful.
One way to remember the location of the marginal artery of Drummond is to remember that it runs distally to the root of the mesentery (near the colon).
I...
Article
Superior orbital fissure (mnemonic)
A mnemonic for all structures passing through the superior orbital fissure (superior to inferior) is:
Long Fissures Seem To Store Only Nerves, Instead Of Arteries, Including Ophthalmic Veins
Mnemonics for the nerves passing through the superior orbital fissure include:
Lazy French Tarts Sit N...
Article
Muscular attachments of the hyoid bone (mnemonic)
A handy mnemonic to recall the muscle attachments of the hyoid bone. The first sentence is for six muscles attaching superiorly, the second sentence is for three muscles attaching inferiorly. Both sentences are in order from lateral to medial:
Christopher, He Didn't See Girls Much. That's Obvio...
Article
Anterior ankle tendons (mnemonic)
A mnemonic that refers to the order of the anterior ankle tendons around the ankle is:
Tom Hates Dick
The mnemonic can be used to remember the order of the tendons from medial to lateral as they pass under the extensor retinaculum of the ankle.
Mnemonic
T: tibialis anterior
H: extensor hal...
Article
Branches of internal iliac artery (mnemonic)
A useful mnemonic to remember the branches of the internal iliac artery is:
I Love Going Places In My Very Own Underwear!
Mnemonic
I: iliolumbar artery
L: lateral sacral artery
G: gluteal (superior and inferior) arteries
P: (internal) pudendal artery
I: inferior vesical (vaginal in female...
Article
Femoral triangle contents (mnemonic)
Mnemonics to recall the order of the femoral vessels and nerve as they emerge from beneath the inguinal ligament into the femoral triangle are:
NAVY
NAVEL
Mnemonics
NAVY
From lateral to medial:
N: femoral nerve
A: femoral artery
V: femoral vein
Y: "Y-fronts" (i.e. the midline)
It shoul...
Article
Hand intrinsic muscles innervated by the median nerve (mnemonic)
All the intrinsic muscles of the hand are innervated by the ulnar nerve, except four muscles which are supplied by the median nerve and are easily recalled with the mnemonic:
FOAL or LOAF
Mnemonic
F: flexor pollicis brevis
O: opponens pollicis
A: abductor pollicis brevis
L: lateral two lum...
Article
Internal auditory canal nerves (mnemonic)
A mnemonic to remember the relative position of nerves inside the internal auditory canal (IAC) is:
Seven up, Coke down
A variation may include the addition of:
V8 on the back shelf
Anatomy
Four nerves pass through the IAC:
facial nerve (CN VII)
three components of the vestibulocochlear n...
Article
Causes of air trapping on high-resolution CT chest (mnemonic)
Mnemonics to remember the causes of air trapping on HRCT chest are:
HSBC
Mnemonic
H: hypersensitivity pneumonitis
S: sarcoidosis
B: bronchiolitis obliterans
C: cystic fibrosis/bronchiectasis
A useful way to remember the mnemonic is recalling that once you are with HSBC, you are "trapped" ...
Article
Lung carcinoma doubling time (mnemonic)
A mnemonic to remember the lung carcinoma doubling time, in order of increasing time, is:
SMS LA
Mnemonic
SM: small cell lung cancer - 30 days
S: squamous cell carcinoma (lung) - 90 days
L: large cell cancer of lung - 120 days
A: adenocarcinoma in situ of the lung - 150-180 days