Trauma: seat belt injury: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Surgery · Trauma: seat belt injury

Sample item

A driver has a transverse band of bruising across the lower abdomen, abdominal tenderness and free fluid on CT without solid organ injury. What injury should be suspected?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. Small bowel or mesenteric injury

The seat belt sign is associated with hollow viscus and mesenteric injury and with flexion-distraction fractures of the lumbar spine (Chance fracture). Free fluid without solid organ injury suggests bowel or mesenteric damage, and a laparotomy or laparoscopy is considered. Delayed perforation may occur, so serial examination matters.

Option by option

  • A. Pericardial tamponade

    Tamponade is a cardiac injury.

  • B. Small bowel or mesenteric injury (correct)

    Correct. Seat belt compression injures bowel and mesentery.

  • C. Subdural haematoma

    Subdural haematoma is an intracranial injury.

  • D. Isolated splenic laceration

    A splenic injury would show on CT.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More General Surgery questions

Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is B, Small bowel or mesenteric injury. The seat belt sign is associated with hollow viscus and mesenteric injury and with flexion-distraction fractures of the lumbar spine (Chance fracture).

Why is "Pericardial tamponade" not the answer?

Tamponade is a cardiac injury.

Why is "Subdural haematoma" not the answer?

Subdural haematoma is an intracranial injury.

Why is "Isolated splenic laceration" not the answer?

A splenic injury would show on CT.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Trauma: seat belt injury in General Surgery. Free fluid without solid organ injury suggests bowel or mesenteric damage, and a laparotomy or laparoscopy is considered. Delayed perforation may occur, so serial examination matters.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Trauma: seat belt injury?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.