A 30-year-old woman complains of weakness and fatigability over the past 6 months. She has a 3-month acute history of severe hypertension that has required treatment with antihypertensive medications. Radiographic examination reveals a tumor of her right suprarenal gland. The patient is diagnosed with a pheochromocytoma (tumor of the adrenal medulla) and is scheduled for a laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Which of the following nerve fibers will need to be cut when the adrenal gland and tumor are removed?
Correct Answer: Preganglionic sympathetic fibers
Description: The preganglionic sympathetic fibers running to the adrenal gland would be cut during adrenalectomy for they synapse on catecholamine-secreting cells within the adrenal medulla. Unlike the normal route of sympathetic innervation, which is to first synapse in a sympathetic ganglion and then send postganglionic fibers to the target tissue, the chromaffin cells of the adrenal gland are innervated directly by preganglionic sympathetic fibers. This is because the chromaffin cells are embryologically postganglionic neurons that migrate to the medulla and undergo differentiation. The adrenal gland receives no other recognized types of innervation; therefore, the remaining answer choices are all incorrect.
Category:
Anatomy
Get More
Subject Mock Tests
Practice with over 200,000 questions from various medical subjects and improve your knowledge.
Attempt a mock test nowMock Exam
Take an exam with 100 random questions selected from all subjects to test your knowledge.
Coming SoonGet More
Subject Mock Tests
Try practicing mock tests with over 200,000 questions from various medical subjects.
Attempt a mock test now