Free NAVLE Exam MCQ Question and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Following a bilateral thyroidectomy, a 11-year-old female domestic shorthair cat is released from the hospital. The patient is reevaluated two days later due to panting, agitation, and a recent seizure. Which postoperative complication is most likely to account for these clinical symptoms?
- Renal disease
- Hypocalcemia
- Horner's syndrome
- Hypoparathyroidism (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Hypoparathyroidism
Bilateral thyroidectomy in cats often involves inadvertent removal or damage to the parathyroid glands, which are closely associated with the thyroid. The parathyroid glands regulate calcium levels via PTH. Postoperative hypoparathyroidism leads to hypocalcemia, causing increased neuromuscular excitability that manifests as panting, agitation, and seizures, making it the most likely complication.
Question 2: A dog that has been struck by a car typically has non-weight-bearing foreleg lameness. Physical examination reveals no fractures that can be felt. Without any movement or pain, the limb simply hangs there. It is also discovered that the dog has Horner's syndrome. What medical condition is most likely to account for these exam results?
- Arterial thromboembolism
- Brachial plexus avulsion (Correct answer)
- Radial nerve paralysis
- Cervical disc disease
Correct answer: Brachial plexus avulsion
The combination of non-weight-bearing foreleg lameness, a flaccid limb that 'just hangs there,' and the presence of Horner's syndrome is highly indicative of a brachial plexus avulsion. Horner's syndrome (miosis, ptosis, enophthalmos) occurs due to damage to sympathetic nerve fibers within the brachial plexus. The flaccid paralysis results from severe nerve root damage, typically from a traumatic pull on the limb.
Question 3: In llamas, the most typical source of bony facial tumors is
- Tooth root abscess (Correct answer)
- Facial bone fracture
- Osteomyelitis
- Ossifying fibroma
Correct answer: Tooth root abscess
In llamas, tooth root abscesses are a very common cause of bony facial tumors or swellings. The infection and inflammation associated with an abscess can lead to significant osteomyelitis and reactive bone proliferation in the surrounding facial bones. This presents as a firm, bony mass, making tooth root abscesses the most frequent etiology for such lesions in this species.
Question 4: After falling from a 25-foot cliff, a 6-year-old corgi develops opisthotonus, thoracic limb hyperextension, and rear limb paraplegia. Which of the following is the lesion's most likely location?
- C6-T2
- S1-S3
- C1-C5
- T3-L3 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: T3-L3
Opisthotonus, thoracic limb hyperextension (Schiff-Sherrington posture), and rear limb paraplegia are classic signs of a severe spinal cord lesion in the thoracolumbar region (T3-L3). The Schiff-Sherrington posture indicates a lesion between T3 and L3, which disinhibits the extensor muscles of the thoracic limbs, while the paraplegia points to the primary lesion affecting the spinal cord segments controlling the hind limbs.
Question 5: Which of the following organisms is most frequently present in feline pyometra?
- Streptococcus pyogenes
- Escherichia coli (Correct answer)
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Staphylococcus aureus
Correct answer: Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is by far the most common bacterial isolate found in cases of feline pyometra, as well as canine pyometra. This bacterium typically ascends from the lower reproductive tract or urinary tract into the uterus, especially under the influence of progesterone, which makes the uterus more susceptible to infection.
Question 6: A 7-year-old jersey cow is examined for an irregular pelvic gait that began in the right hind leg a month ago but has already spread to the left limb. She mated with a bull last month, the dairy farmer mentions. The cow can move her pelvic limbs forward, but she does it with a dorsally buckled metatarsophalangeal joint and an excessively flexed (dropping) tarsus. On all of the surfaces of the pelvic limbs, pain perception was normal. Anal tone and tail function were both normal. Which of the following nerves' malfunction is the cause of these physical examination results?
- Sciatic nerve
- Obturator nerve
- Peroneal nerve
- Tibial nerve (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Tibial nerve
The described gait abnormalities – dorsally buckled metatarsophalangeal joint and an excessively flexed (dropping) tarsus – are characteristic signs of tibial nerve dysfunction. The tibial nerve innervates muscles responsible for hock extension and digital flexion. Damage to this nerve results in the inability to extend the hock and flex the digits, leading to the observed 'dropped hock' and buckled toe appearance.
Question 7: The 3-day history of moderate to severe episodes of left-sided epistaxis in a male fjord pony, 19, is evaluated. The pony is quiet, attentive, and receptive when presented. The rectal temperature was 101 degrees Fahrenheit, the heart rate is 60, and the respiration rate is 40. The total protein level is 6.5 g/dL, and the hematocrit is 31%. Airflow through each nostril is not especially restricted, and there is no sign of damage or swelling over the head's sinus area. Which of the following diagnostic procedures will give the most accurate results to support an assumed diagnosis?
- Head/Thorax radiography
- Thoracic ultrasonography
- Endoscopic examination (Correct answer)
- Transtracheal aspiration
Correct answer: Endoscopic examination
The pony's history of recurrent, unilateral epistaxis without obvious external trauma or swelling suggests a lesion within the nasal passages, paranasal sinuses, or guttural pouches. Endoscopic examination (rhinoscopy and guttural pouch endoscopy) is the most accurate diagnostic procedure to directly visualize these structures, identify the source of bleeding (e.g., fungal plaques, ethmoid hematoma, tumor), and guide further treatment.
Free NAVLE Exam MCQ Question and Answers
Following a bilateral thyroidectomy, a 11-year-old female domestic shorthair cat is released from the hospital.
The patient is reevaluated two days later due to panting, agitation, and a recent seizure.
Which postoperative complication is most likely to account for these clinical symptoms?