Head and Neck

Shoulder droops, can't shrug or turn the head away from the injured side

Mnemonic for the clinical signs of an accessory nerve palsy.

Converge, constrict, contract the lens, three C's when you look up close

Mnemonic for the three components of the accommodation reflex.

I Can Predict Molars

Mnemonic for the number of each tooth type in one quadrant of the adult mouth.

A flat line on X-ray tells the tale, fluid pooling in a blocked sinus trail

Mnemonic for the imaging sign of fluid within an infected sinus.

The angle of the jaw belongs to C2, C3, not the trigeminal at all

Mnemonic for the key exception to trigeminal facial sensation.

The facial artery's last stop, at the eye's inner corner, full stop

Mnemonic for the terminal point of the facial artery.

A loop of C1 to C3 supplies the strap muscles below the hyoid

Mnemonic for the muscles supplied by the ansa cervicalis loop.

Frontal lobes rest, olfactory bulbs nest, on the cribriform's crest

Mnemonic for the main contents of the anterior cranial fossa.

Some Men Cheat Downwards

Mnemonic for the four subdivisions of the anterior triangle of the neck.

Atlas nods yes, axis says no

Mnemonic for the different movements permitted at the top two cervical joints.

Atlas has no body, axis has the peg

Mnemonic for the distinguishing features of the first two cervical vertebrae.

Wraps around the middle meningeal artery like a sling

Mnemonic for the looping relationship between the auriculotemporal nerve and the middle meningeal artery.

Bruising behind the ear, base of skull fracture's here

Mnemonic for the clinical sign and significance of Battle's sign.

Bell's drops it all, stroke spares the wall

Mnemonic for distinguishing a lower motor neuron facial palsy from an upper motor neuron lesion.

Bitter lingers at the back, a built-in poison-detecting tack

Mnemonic for the relative concentration of bitter taste receptors on the tongue.

The trumpeter's cheek, keeps the food where you chew, doesn't let it leak

Mnemonic for the role of buccinator in mastication.

Carotid splits at C3 to C4, right where the hyoid bone lives

Mnemonic for the vertebral level of the carotid artery bifurcation.

The tunnel the artery takes, no nerve for company's sake

Mnemonic for the sole major content of the carotid canal.

Feel the angle of the jaw, just in front of the SCM's wall

Mnemonic for where to feel the carotid pulse.

Very Important Vessels Nearby

Mnemonic for the structures contained within the carotid sheath.

Oh Oh Oh To Take A Vacation

Mnemonic for the structures within and beside the cavernous sinus.

Painful eye that won't move right, three four six caught in the fight

Mnemonic for the clinical features of cavernous sinus thrombosis.

Submental to supraclavicular, level one to level six

Mnemonic for the six levels of cervical lymph nodes.

Great auricular, lesser occipital, supraclavicular, transverse cervical, GLST meet at Erb's point

Mnemonic for the four cutaneous branches of the cervical plexus.

C1 to C4 weave the neck's own web

Mnemonic for the spinal root contributions to the cervical plexus.

Superior Middle Inferior, three ganglia in a row

Mnemonic for the three ganglia of the cervical sympathetic trunk.

Seven bones, eight nerves, C1 exits above its bone, the rest just follow

Mnemonic for why there are eight cervical nerves but only seven cervical vertebrae.

Sneaks through the middle ear, but doesn't supply it, just passing through

Mnemonic for the passage of the chorda tympani through the middle ear without supplying it.

Tap the cheek, twitch you'll see, low calcium's the guarantee

Mnemonic for eliciting and interpreting Chvostek's sign.

Short root, sharp focus

Mnemonic for the parasympathetic root of the ciliary ganglion.

Anterior communicates before posterior

Mnemonic for the anterior to posterior arrangement of the circle of Willis.

Usually strikes on the left, left is more often bereft

Mnemonic for the typical side affected in cleft lip.

Lip by six, palate by twelve

Mnemonic for the developmental timing of lip and palate closure.

Cochlea for hearing, vestibule for the leaning

Mnemonic for the separate functions of the cochlea and vestibular apparatus.

Touch with five, blink with seven

Mnemonic for the afferent and efferent nerves of the corneal reflex.

Corrugator draws the brows together, a furrowed frown in any weather

Mnemonic for the frowning action of corrugator supercilii.

Sniff for one, smell tells if the first is gone

Mnemonic for testing the olfactory nerve at the bedside.

See for two, visual acuity and fields come through

Mnemonic for testing the optic nerve at the bedside.

Three and four live up top, five six seven eight bunk together in the pons, nine through twelve settle low

Mnemonic for which cranial nerve nuclei sit at each brainstem level.

Oh Oh Oh To Touch And Feel Very Green Vegetables AH

Classic mnemonic for the order of the twelve cranial nerves.

Some Say Marry Money But My Brother Says Big Brains Matter More

Mnemonic for whether each cranial nerve is sensory, motor or mixed.

Clench for five, feel the masseter come alive

Mnemonic for testing the motor function of the trigeminal nerve.

Smile, puff, frown for seven, raise your brows up toward heaven

Mnemonic for testing the facial nerve at the bedside.

Say ah for ten, watch the uvula pull, then

Mnemonic for testing the vagus nerve at the bedside.

Shrug and turn for eleven, against resistance, push like Kevin

Mnemonic for testing the accessory nerve at the bedside.

Stick out for twelve, tongue points toward the weaker shelf

Mnemonic for testing the hypoglossal nerve at the bedside.

Oh Once One Takes The Anatomy Final, Very Good Vacations Are Heavenly

A clean mnemonic for the order of the twelve cranial nerves.

Rotates and slides like a knob on a dial, opens and closes the cords all the while

Mnemonic for the type of movement at the cricoarytenoid joint.

Cricoid sits at C6, where the airway becomes the trachea and the oesophagus truly begins

Mnemonic for the vertebral level of the cricoid cartilage.

Tilts and rocks like a see-saw plank, tenses the cords as it cranks

Mnemonic for the type of movement at the cricothyroid joint.

Between the shield and the ring

Mnemonic for the location of the cricothyroid membrane.

Feel the notch between shield and ring, that's the emergency door

Mnemonic for the emergency airway landmark of the cricothyroid membrane.

A halo ring on gauze or sheet, CSF mixed with blood, a telltale feat

Mnemonic for testing suspected cerebrospinal fluid leak from the nose.

Nose to the mouth's two corners, no valves, straight line to the cavernous sinus

Mnemonic for the danger triangle formed by the nose and corners of the mouth.

Central first to bite, second molar ends the fight

Mnemonic for the approximate timing of deciduous tooth eruption.

Investing, Pretracheal, Prevertebral, three coats around the neck

Mnemonic for the three main layers of deep cervical fascia.

Two bellies, one tendon sling, anterior chews forward, posterior pulls back

Mnemonic for the two bellies of digastric and their different nerve supplies.

Anterior belly's fed by five, posterior by seven, one muscle, two masters driven

Mnemonic for the differing nerve supply of the two digastric bellies.

CATCH-22

Mnemonic for the clinical features of DiGeorge syndrome linked to pharyngeal pouch failure.

Dilator naris widens the door when you need more air to pour

Mnemonic for the action of dilator naris during breathing.

Sally Sees Cats Turn Sideways, Jumping

Mnemonic for the pathway of venous drainage through the major dural sinuses.

Old People From Texas Eat Spiders Sometimes

Mnemonic for the eight bones that form the cranial vault and base.

Little bridges connect scalp veins to sinus deep, infection's secret sneak

Mnemonic for the role of emissary veins in the scalp.

Epidural is a lens, subdural is a banana

Mnemonic for the imaging shapes of epidural and subdural bleeds.

Elastic, so it springs back into place, epiglottis bounces, doesn't lose face

Mnemonic for the elastic cartilage composition of the epiglottis.

Great auricular, lesser occipital, transverse cervical, supraclavicular, four nerves burst at the border

Mnemonic for the four cutaneous nerves emerging at Erb's point.

Opens to equalise, pops when you fly, blocks and your ear says goodbye

Mnemonic for the role of the eustachian tube.

Some Ladies Find Occlusion Painful, So They Make Out

Mnemonic for the eight branches of the external carotid artery.

Helix wraps the whole way round, down to the lobe it's found

Mnemonic for the main visible landmarks of the auricle from outer rim to canal.

Six hillocks of His fuse to build the outer ear's rise

Mnemonic for the embryological origin of the external ear.

Posterior auricular meets the back door of the retromandibular, external jugular is born

Mnemonic for the formation of the external jugular vein.

Ties close to the superior thyroid vessels, injure it, lose your high notes

Mnemonic for the surgical risk to the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve.

Four recti spring from a common ring, the obliques do their own thing

Mnemonic for the shared origin of most extraocular muscles.

LR6 SO4 rest 3

Mnemonic for which cranial nerves supply the extraocular muscles.

Lateral rectus six, superior oblique four, everyone else reports to three

Mnemonic combining lateral rectus, superior oblique and the rest of the extraocular muscles by nerve.

Six steer the eye, plus one lifts the lid, seven total, that's the bid

Mnemonic for the total number of extraocular muscles including the eyelid elevator.

Skin Meets The Curtain

Mnemonic for the four layers of the eyelid from skin to conjunctiva.

Levator lifts, orbicularis shuts

Mnemonic for the antagonist muscles that open and close the eyelid.

Climbs from the jaw, past the mouth's corner, up beside the nose, a winding road that shows

Mnemonic for the winding course of the facial artery.

Feel it at the jaw's angle and beside the nose, the facial artery's winding road

Mnemonic for the two places the facial artery pulse can be felt.

V1 V2 V3 divide the face like slices of pie, forehead to chin

Mnemonic for how the trigeminal divisions split facial sensation.

Two Zebras Bit My Coccyx

Mnemonic for the five terminal branches of the facial nerve within the parotid gland.

Labyrinthine, tympanic, mastoid, three segments bend like a Z through the ear

Mnemonic for the three named segments of the facial nerve within the temporal bone.

No valves means no one way street, infection can travel any way it please

Mnemonic for the danger posed by the valveless facial vein.

Near the ear, close to the parotid, a leftover groove, that's the plot to it

Mnemonic for the typical location of a first branchial cleft cyst.

Mylohyoid makes the sling, geniohyoid sits above the string

Mnemonic for the two muscles forming the floor of the mouth.

Big Diamond Front, Small Triangle Back

Mnemonic for the four fontanelles of the infant skull.

Lacerum looks big but it's mostly filled, nothing much really gets through

Mnemonic for the largely cartilage filled foramen lacerum.

The big hole carries the big stuff

Mnemonic for the major structures passing through the foramen magnum.

OVAL door for the big jaw nerve

Mnemonic for the nerve passing through the foramen ovale.

ROUND hole, round cheek nerve

Mnemonic for the nerve passing through the foramen rotundum.

Spiny needle brings the blood in

Mnemonic for the vessel passing through the foramen spinosum.

Ciliary sees, pterygopalatine cries, otic chews, submandibular drools

Mnemonic for the four parasympathetic ganglia of the head and their linked cranial nerves.

Two Zygomatic Nasal Every Maxilla Loves Vomer, In Public

Mnemonic for the fourteen bones of the facial skeleton.

Sweat while you eat, parotid surgery crosses gustatory and sweat nerve fibres

Mnemonic for the mechanism behind Frey's syndrome after parotid surgery.

Frontalis raises the brow in surprise, no bone beneath it, just skin that flies

Mnemonic for the unique bone-free attachment of frontalis.

Nine tastes it, ten gags it

Mnemonic for the afferent and efferent nerves of the gag reflex.

Great auricular covers the ear and the angle of the jaw

Mnemonic for the sensory territory of the great auricular nerve.

Right shares a trunk, left stands alone, straight off the arch it's grown

Mnemonic for the asymmetric origin of the subclavian arteries relevant to neck vessel anatomy.

The first branch off the facial, headed for the crying ganglion

Mnemonic for the destination of the greater petrosal nerve.

Trace a big H in the air, that's how all six muscles show their care

Mnemonic for the shape traced when testing all six extraocular muscles.

Nose to lip to eye, an H shaped tie, infections here risk the brain nearby

Mnemonic for the danger zone of facial infection spread.

PAM, Ptosis Anhidrosis Miosis

Mnemonic for the three signs of Horner's syndrome.

The only bone that touches no other bone, floats alone, on muscle sling it's grown

Mnemonic for the unusual isolated position of the hyoid bone.

Hyoid sits at C3, feel it just below your chin

Mnemonic for the vertebral level of the hyoid bone.

Twelve has its own private door

Mnemonic for the nerve passing through the hypoglossal canal.

Tongue points toward the injured side, like it's pointing out the problem

Mnemonic for the clinical sign of a hypoglossal nerve palsy.

Some Say Thyroid Often

Mnemonic for the four infrahyoid strap muscles below the hyoid bone.

Seven and eight ride together through the internal gate

Mnemonic for the nerves passing through the internal acoustic meatus.

Cats Prowl Caves Carefully

Mnemonic for the four main segments of the internal carotid artery.

Sigmoid sinus drops through the jugular foramen and becomes the vein

Mnemonic for the origin of the internal jugular vein.

Five in, five out, the only reflex that's all trigeminal about

Mnemonic for the nerve involved in both limbs of the jaw jerk reflex.

Jugular Vein Attracts Girls

Mnemonic for the structures passing through the jugular foramen.

Nine, Ten, Eleven ride the jugular bus, sitting right next to the vein

Mnemonic for the three nerves riding through the jugular foramen with the internal jugular vein.

Gland weeps above, punctum sips at the inner corner, sac drains down the duct, nose catches the run

Mnemonic for the direction tears flow through the lacrimal apparatus.

Those Cats Are Eating

Mnemonic for the four main cartilages of the larynx.

Front flap, back peaks, side folds seal the leaks

Mnemonic for the structures forming the boundaries of the laryngeal inlet.

From the epiglottis down to the cricoid's ring, food passes safely past the airway's wing

Mnemonic for the boundaries of the laryngopharynx.

Lateral pterygoids pull it open, working as a pair

Mnemonic for the unique protrusive action of lateral pterygoid.

Lifts from the back of the orbit, a short straight climb to the lid it'll orbit

Mnemonic for the bony origin of levator palpebrae superioris.

Five vessels kiss at the front of the septum

Mnemonic for the arteries forming Kiesselbach's plexus at Little's area.

Lateral rectus CN VI, superior oblique CN IV, all others CN III

A mnemonic for extraocular muscle innervation.

Tongue goes up, airway's stuck

Mnemonic for the key danger of Ludwig's angina.

BLIA runs the lower jaw

Mnemonic for the branches of the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve.

Three goes oval, the big jaw needs the big oval door

Mnemonic for where the mandibular nerve leaves the skull.

Infection spreads through the mastoid air cells straight to the brain's back door

Mnemonic for how mastoiditis can spread to threaten the brain.

ZIPS across the midface

Mnemonic for the branches of the maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve.

Two goes round, matches its round cheek

Mnemonic for where the maxillary nerve leaves the skull.

Trigeminal ganglion rests in Meckel's cave, like a nerve tucked safe

Mnemonic for the structure housed within Meckel's cave.

Dumb Aunts Party

Mnemonic for the three meningeal layers from outermost to innermost.

Mentalis wrinkles the chin like a golf ball skin

Mnemonic for the wrinkling action of mentalis on the chin.

The forgotten suture, fuses early, by age two it's gone from view

Mnemonic for the early disappearance of the metopic suture.

Temporal and pituitary's nest, cavernous sinus at the side of the crest

Mnemonic for the main contents of the middle cranial fossa.

Roof Floor Front Back In Out, six walls about

Mnemonic for the six walls of the tympanic cavity.

Motor nuclei sit medial, sensory nuclei sit lateral

Mnemonic for the general rule on brainstem nuclei position.

Some Muscles Make You Munch

Mnemonic for the number and identity of the muscles of mastication.

My Try Might Ache

Mnemonic for the three muscles of mastication that elevate the mandible.

Temporalis pulls it back, gravity does the rest of the opening act

Mnemonic for the muscle actions opposing lateral pterygoid protrusion.

A five way kiss at Kiesselbach's

Mnemonic for the five arteries contributing to Kiesselbach's plexus.

Plate on top, Vomer below, Cartilage in front

Mnemonic for the three structures forming the nasal septum.

Nasalis flares the nostrils wide, compressor and dilator riding side by side

Mnemonic for the flaring action of nasalis.

Behind the nose, above the palate, a passage that connects but does not halt it

Mnemonic for the boundaries of the nasopharynx.

Frankly Lovely Nose

Mnemonic for the three branches of the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve.

One goes through the superior orbital fissure, the eye's own door

Mnemonic for where the ophthalmic nerve leaves the skull.

Two travels with the artery too

Mnemonic for the structures passing through the optic canal.

Orbit the eye, orbicularis closes it, one ring muscle, one job, shut

Mnemonic for the ring shaped closing action of orbicularis oculi.

Orbicularis oris puckers shut, like a drawstring purse pulled tight

Mnemonic for the sphincter action of orbicularis oris.

Optic canal medial, superior orbital fissure lateral, the apex splits the traffic

Mnemonic for the structures at the apex of the orbit and how the two openings split them.

Room For Little Miracles

Mnemonic for the four walls of the bony orbit.

Eye to ear hole, the baseline for a skull CT's role

Mnemonic for the orbitomeatal line used as a baseline in skull imaging.

From the soft palate down to the hyoid's frame, tonsils and tongue base share this same domain

Mnemonic for the boundaries of the oropharynx.

Ma Married Ivan Stapel

Mnemonic reinforcing the ossicle order along the path of sound conduction.

Ma Married Ivan Stapel

Mnemonic for the order of the three ossicles from outer to inner ear.

Hangs under the oval door

Mnemonic for the position of the otic ganglion.

Hard in front is bone, soft behind stands alone

Mnemonic for the composition of the hard and soft palate.

Palatine shelves swing down then up then fuse, miss the timing, get the cleft

Mnemonic for the direction of palatal shelf fusion.

Middle for most, superior for posterior ethmoid, sphenoid drains above all

Mnemonic for where each paranasal sinus group drains within the nasal cavity.

Frontal Ethmoid Sphenoid Maxillary, all drain to the nose

Mnemonic for the four paired paranasal sinuses.

Four pairs drain the face, frontal ethmoid sphenoid maxillary find their place

Mnemonic for the number of paired paranasal sinus groups.

Four glands, two up two down, tucked behind the thyroid's crown

Mnemonic for the typical number and arrangement of parathyroid glands.

Stensen's duct opens by the second upper molar

Mnemonic for the location of the parotid duct opening.

Facial nerve splits it superficial from deep, like a nerve drawn curtain

Mnemonic for how the facial nerve divides the parotid gland into lobes.

Uvula runs away from the pus bay

Mnemonic for the direction of uvula deviation in a peritonsillar abscess.

Come Look, Canines First, Please, Please, Molars Meet

Mnemonic for the general order in which permanent teeth erupt.

Arch one Meckel's begun, arch two Reichert's true, arch three hyoid's key, arch four six larynx fix

Mnemonic for the skeletal derivative of each pharyngeal arch.

Arch four six, Vagus fix

Mnemonic for the nerve of the fourth and sixth pharyngeal arches.

Arch one, chew like a Trigeminal son

Mnemonic for the nerve of the first pharyngeal arch.

Arch three, swallow with Glosso key

Mnemonic for the nerve of the third pharyngeal arch.

Arch two, smile like a Facial crew

Mnemonic for the nerve of the second pharyngeal arch.

Sing Movies Play Backwards

Mnemonic for the three pharyngeal constrictor muscles from top to bottom.

Ear, tonsil, thymus below, thymus above

Mnemonic for the adult derivative of each of the four pharyngeal pouches.

My Friend Made Adjustments

Mnemonic for the four layers of the pharyngeal wall from inside out.

The tough inner coat that holds the throat's shape afloat

Mnemonic for the supportive role of the pharyngobasilar fascia.

Once Party Ends

Mnemonic for the three phases of swallowing in order.

A pocket beside the larynx, where sharp things like to hide and pinch

Mnemonic for why the piriform fossa is a common site for foreign bodies.

Runs from the chest to the jaw, tenses the neck like a drawn up shawl

Mnemonic for the course and action of platysma.

Cerebellum and stem, the deepest of them

Mnemonic for the main contents of the posterior cranial fossa.

PCA parts the cords apart

Mnemonic for the unique action of posterior cricoarytenoid.

SCM in front, trapezius behind, clavicle's the floor you'll find

Mnemonic for the three boundaries of the posterior triangle of the neck.

Accessory surfs, plexus peeks, artery anchors

Mnemonic for the main contents of the posterior triangle of the neck.

Preauricular nodes catch drainage from the eyelid and temple first

Mnemonic for the drainage territory of the preauricular lymph nodes.

Thin as paper, tear beneath, that's the pterion's deadly teeth

Mnemonic for why the pterion is a clinically dangerous landmark.

Frontal Parietal Temporal Sphenoid meet at an H shaped handshake

Mnemonic for the four bones meeting at the pterion.

The crying ganglion hangs from the maxillary nerve

Mnemonic for the position and function of the pterygopalatine ganglion.

In by two, out by three

Mnemonic for the afferent and efferent nerves of the pupillary light reflex.

A leftover thumb pointing up from the thyroglossal duct's path

Mnemonic for the origin of the thyroid pyramidal lobe.

Black eyes with no punch thrown, anterior fossa fracture shown

Mnemonic for the clinical sign and significance of raccoon eyes.

The nerve runs behind the gland, cut carelessly, lose the voice command

Mnemonic for the surgical risk to the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroidectomy.

Right hooks the pipe, left loops the arch, right's the short cut, left's the long march

Mnemonic for the asymmetric course of the left and right recurrent laryngeal nerves.

Recurrent runs the rest, every intrinsic muscle except the one that's blessed by external

Mnemonic for the muscles supplied by the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

A line from the eye to the ear, the skull's horizontal frontier

Mnemonic for the anatomical landmark used as the baseline in skull imaging.

Danger space, no floor at all, straight down to the chest you fall

Mnemonic for why the retropharyngeal space is called the danger space.

Wide to breathe, narrow to whisper, a silent gap grows slimmer

Mnemonic for how the width of the rima glottidis changes with breathing and speech.

Rinne negative, bone beats air, conductive loss is there, Weber runs to the bad ear when it's conductive

Mnemonic for interpreting Rinne and Weber hearing tests.

The smiler's muscle, risorius rhymes with glorious grin

Mnemonic for the smiling function of risorius.

Runs straight down the middle like a part in your hair

Mnemonic for the surface position of the sagittal suture.

SCALP

Mnemonic for the five layers of the scalp.

Along the SCM's front edge, second cleft hugs the muscle's ledge

Mnemonic for the typical location of a second branchial cleft cyst.

Three canals, three planes, anterior posterior lateral, each at right angles

Mnemonic for the three planes of the semicircular canals.

Cats Purr Slowly

Mnemonic for the order of major skull sutures from front to back.

Tall Ladies Prefer Pretty Umbrellas

Mnemonic for the five muscles of the soft palate.

Sensory, Sensory, Motor, Motor, Both, Motor, Both, Sensory, Both, Both, Motor, Motor

A mnemonic for sensory, motor or both functions of cranial nerves.

Pinna funnels, drum vibrates, ossicles amplify, cochlea converts

Mnemonic for the overall journey of sound from outer ear to inner ear.

Sits beneath the pituitary gland, a neighbour you don't want too grand

Mnemonic for the risky proximity of the sphenoid sinus to the pituitary gland.

Splenius extends and rotates the head like a splint holding it straight

Mnemonic for the actions of splenius capitis and cervicis.

Same Side Tilt, Opposite Side Turn

Mnemonic for the tilt and turn actions of sternocleidomastoid.

Some Anatomists Vow Never Forget

Mnemonic for the order of structures within the parotid gland from superficial to deep.

Between the style and the mastoid, the face makes its exit

Mnemonic for the nerve exiting the stylomastoid foramen.

VIT-C, D

Mnemonic for the branches of the subclavian artery.

Many little ducts, no single big door

Mnemonic for the multiple small ducts of the sublingual gland.

Wharton's duct opens at the front floor, beside the tongue's tied door

Mnemonic for the location of the submandibular duct opening.

Hangs from the lingual nerve like a drop of drool

Mnemonic for the position of the submandibular ganglion.

Feel it just in front of the ear, the temple's pulse is always near

Mnemonic for the location of the superficial temporal artery pulse.

SIN and RAD

Mnemonic for the combined actions of the oblique eye muscles.

Internal feels, external tightens, two branches with two different heightenings

Mnemonic for the two branches of the superior laryngeal nerve.

Live Free To See Anything

Mnemonic for the nerves passing through the superior orbital fissure.

Troisier finds trouble on the left, above the collarbone's cleft

Mnemonic reinforcing the clinical importance of the left supraclavicular lymph node.

Some Guys Marry, Divorce, Get Married

Mnemonic for the four suprahyoid muscles above the hyoid bone.

Post is quick, ant takes its time

Mnemonic for the relative closure timing of the fontanelles.

Sweet salty sour bitter, all buds sense them all, no zone is stricter

Mnemonic for correcting the outdated tongue taste map idea.

Front Chorda, Back Glosso

Mnemonic for which nerves carry taste and touch from the anterior and posterior tongue.

Down and out, lid's dropping, pupil's blown

Mnemonic for the classic clinical triad of a complete CN III palsy.

Peter Piper's Salty Snacks

Mnemonic for the three paired major salivary glands.

Try Swallowing Slowly

Mnemonic for the branches of the thyrocervical trunk.

From the tongue's back door down to its final address, cysts can pop up anywhere on the way

Mnemonic for the developmental path of the thyroglossal duct.

Shield shaped, guards the throat like ancient armour plate

Mnemonic for the protective shield-like shape of the thyroid cartilage.

Thyroid cartilage marks C4 to C5, the Adam's apple's home address

Mnemonic for the vertebral level of the thyroid cartilage.

Superior comes from above, inferior climbs from below

Mnemonic for the origin of the arteries supplying the thyroid gland.

Two three the isthmus you see, right below the cricoid at C6

Mnemonic for the vertebral level of the thyroid isthmus.

Disc rides on top of the condyle like a saddle, dividing the joint in two

Mnemonic for the position of the articular disc within the TMJ.

TSS holds the jaw on a leash

Mnemonic for the three ligaments supporting the temporomandibular joint.

Rotation opens a little, translation opens a lot, hinge then glide, that's the plot

Mnemonic for the two stage movement of jaw opening at the TMJ.

Anterior two thirds from arch one, posterior third from arch three, different origins, same organ, that's why the nerves differ too

Mnemonic for the pharyngeal arch origin of the anterior and posterior tongue.

Style Helps Genius Pals

Mnemonic for the four extrinsic muscles of the tongue.

Tip and back drain both sides, the sides only drain their own side

Mnemonic for the bilateral versus unilateral lymphatic drainage of the tongue.

Twenty two bones build the skull's house, eight cranial, fourteen facial, quiet as a mouse

Mnemonic for the total number of bones in the skull.

Towne's looks through the foramen magnum, straight down the pipe

Mnemonic for the purpose and technique of the Towne's radiographic view.

Between rings two and three, below the cricoid, that's the key

Mnemonic for the correct level of a surgical tracheostomy.

Upper shrugs, middle retracts, lower depresses

Mnemonic for the three functional parts of trapezius.

Arch one's a mess, jaw and ear both regress

Mnemonic for the developmental basis of Treacher Collins syndrome.

Standing Room Only

Mnemonic for the order of the three divisions of the trigeminal nerve.

Cuff the arm, the hand spasms like a claw, another calcium low flaw

Mnemonic for eliciting and interpreting Trousseau's sign.

Voice breaks, swallowing's a task, shoulder droops, nine ten eleven unmasked

Mnemonic for the clinical presentation of jugular foramen syndrome.

Vertebral artery enters at C6, and climbs the transverse foramina all the way up

Mnemonic for the vertebral level at which the vertebral artery enters the transverse foramina.

V1 rises, V2 hides, V3 loops, V4 dives

Mnemonic for the four segments of the vertebral artery.

Left Virchow's node signals trouble below

Mnemonic for the significance of an enlarged left supraclavicular lymph node.

PCA opens, everyone else closes, CT tightens, TA loosens the noses of sound

Mnemonic combining abduction and tension control of the vocal cords into one memory aid.

CT tightens, TA loosens

Mnemonic for which muscles tighten and which loosen the vocal cords.

Lingual below, palatine at the sides, tubal by the ears, pharyngeal up high, a ring of guards for the throat

Mnemonic for the protective function and layout of Waldeyer's ring.

A ring of guards around the throat

Mnemonic for the four sets of tonsils forming Waldeyer's ring.

Waters shows the sinuses, chin up to clear the base

Mnemonic for the purpose and technique of the Waters radiographic view.

Wharton's is under the tongue's floor, Stensen's by the second molar, remember the door

Mnemonic contrasting the two major salivary duct openings.

Zygomaticus major pulls up and out, a diagonal smile without a doubt

Mnemonic for the diagonal pull of zygomaticus major during smiling.