Question

heather, a 22 - year - old college senior, spends a semester as an intern overseas. upon her return to the u.s., she notices that she feels tired, her neck is stiff, her head aches, and she has a slight fever. she tells her roommate that she is going to lie down for a nap. later that evening when heathers mother calls, her roommate has difficulty waking her and notices that heather seems to be having trouble walking and talking. after realizing that heather has a fever, she takes heather to the student health center. on the way, heather becomes nauseous and vomits. while heathers roommate is checking her in at the health center, heather becomes uncooperative and wants to leave. she doesnt calm down until one of the aides comes out. after this, heather appears to relax and to “fall asleep with her eyes open.” at this time, her roommate gives the nurse as complete a history as possible. in the examination room, the physician notes that heathers neck is rigid and she has difficulty moving her legs. her oral temperature is 104°f, and her heart rate is 130 beats/min. during the examination, heather vomits again and begins to convulse. suspecting meningitis or encephalitis, the physician immediately orders a spinal tap and blood sampling and starts intravenous antibiotics (ampicillin). the results come back highly suggestive of bacterial meningitis. answer the following questions related to heathers condition. if you are a neurosurgeon making an incision (cutting) the meninges, what is the order of the cut? a. dura, arachnoid, pia b. dura, pia, arachnoid c. pia, arachnoid, dura d. pia, dura, arachnoid e. arachnoid, pia, dura

Explanation:

The meninges have three layers. The outermost is the dura mater, followed by the arachnoid mater, and then the innermost pia mater. When making an incision, one would cut through these layers in that order from outside - in.

Answer:

A. Dura, arachnoid, pia