Neuroanatomy USMLE Step 1 Practice Question
A 68-year-old man with a 10-year history of poorly controlled hypertension presents to the emergency department with sudden onset severe headache, nausea, and vomiting. On examination, he is alert but lethargic, with blood pressure 215/125 mmHg. Neurologic examination reveals no focal motor or sensory deficits, intact cranial nerves, and normal pupillary responses bilaterally. Non-contrast CT of the head demonstrates an acute hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage in the left putamen measuring 4.5 cm in greatest dimension with 7 mm of midline shift. Which of the following ventricular structures is most vulnerable to compression from the mass effect of this hemorrhage?
Answer choices
- ALeft lateral ventricle only
- BInterventricular foramen (foramen of Monro)
- CCerebral aqueduct (aqueduct of Sylvius)
- DThird ventricleCorrect answer
- EFourth ventricle
- FChoroid plexus located within the occipital horn
See the full explanation
Get the correct-answer rationale, why each distractor is wrong, the underlying mechanism, and high-yield associations — plus adaptive practice that targets your weak areas — with a free MedBoardPRO account.