A 67-year-old lawyer comes to your clinic for an annual examination. He denies any history of eye trauma. He denies any visual changes. You inspect his eyes and find a triangular thickening of the bulbar conjunctiva across the outer surface of the cornea. He has a normal pupillary reaction to light and accommodation. Based on this description, what is the most likely diagnosis?

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Physical Examination and Health Assessment 9th Edition Test Bank Questions

Question 1 of 5

A 67-year-old lawyer comes to your clinic for an annual examination. He denies any history of eye trauma. He denies any visual changes. You inspect his eyes and find a triangular thickening of the bulbar conjunctiva across the outer surface of the cornea. He has a normal pupillary reaction to light and accommodation. Based on this description, what is the most likely diagnosis?

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The described findings of a triangular thickening of the bulbar conjunctiva across the outer surface of the cornea are characteristic of a pterygium. A pterygium is a benign growth of conjunctival tissue that extends onto the cornea. It is often associated with chronic exposure to ultraviolet light and typically occurs on the nasal side of the eye. Pterygiums are usually asymptomatic but can cause irritation, redness, and foreign body sensation in some cases. Surgical removal may be considered if the pterygium causes significant symptoms or affects vision.

Question 2 of 5

Her blood pressure and pulse are unremarkable. Her head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat examinations are unremarkable except for edema of the nasal turbinates. On auscultation she has decreased air movement, and coarse crackles are heard over the left lower lobe. There is dullness on percussion, increased fremitus during palpation, and egophony and whispered pectoriloquy on auscultation. What disorder of the thorax or lung best describes her symptoms?

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The patient's symptoms point towards pneumonia. Pneumonia is characterized by infection and inflammation in the lung tissue, leading to symptoms such as decreased air movement, crackles on auscultation, dullness on percussion, increased fremitus on palpation, and abnormal breath sounds like egophony and whispered pectoriloquy. These findings are consistent with consolidation of the lung, which occurs in pneumonia as a result of fluid, inflammatory cells, and tissue debris filling the alveoli. The presence of nasal turbinates edema indicates a possible upper respiratory tract infection that may have preceded the development of pneumonia. Spontaneous pneumothorax would typically present with sudden-onset chest pain and dyspnea but would not typically cause findings of lung consolidation. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are characterized by different patterns of lung damage and symptoms, such as chronic inflammation, airflow obstruction, and hyper

Question 3 of 5

A 62-year-old smoker complains of "coughing up small amounts of blood," so you consider hemoptysis. Which of the following should you also consider?

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Epistaxis, also known as a nosebleed, should be considered in a patient complaining of coughing up blood along with a history of smoking. Epistaxis can sometimes lead to blood trickling down the throat and being coughed up. It is important to consider this differential diagnosis, especially in patients with risk factors such as smoking. Intestinal bleeding (choice A) has a different presentation and cause compared to epistaxis. Hematoma of the nasal septum (choice B) is unlikely to cause coughing up blood. Bruising of the tongue (choice D) is also less likely to be the cause of hemoptysis in this case.

Question 4 of 5

What is responsible for the inspiratory splitting of S ?

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Inspiratory splitting of S occurs due to the normal physiological delay in the closure of the aortic and pulmonic valves during inspiration. During inspiration, the negative intrathoracic pressure leads to increased venous return to the right side of the heart, causing a slight delay in the closure of the pulmonic valve. This results in the aortic valve closing first, followed by the closure of the pulmonic valve, leading to the splitting of S during inspiration.

Question 5 of 5

Which of the following conditions could be responsible for this heart rate?

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Atrial flutter is a cardiac arrhythmia characterized by rapid, regular atrial contractions at a rate of around 250-350 beats per minute. This can lead to a ventricular response rate that is usually around 150 beats per minute, resulting in a fast heart rate. The ECG pattern in atrial flutter typically shows a sawtooth pattern of flutter waves, which distinguishes it from other arrhythmias. In contrast, second-degree A-V block, sinus arrhythmia, and atrial fibrillation would not typically present with the rapid regular atrial contractions seen in atrial flutter.

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