Multiple choice

A female comes with complaints of chest pain. On examination, she is found to have pericarditis with pericardial effusion. The pain is mediated by

  1. deep cardiac plexus

  2. superficial cardiac plexus

  3. phrenic nerve

  4. subcostal nerve

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C Correct answer
Explanation

The pericardium and parietal pleura are innervated by the phrenic nerve (C3-C5). This explains why pericarditis pain is typically retrosternal and may radiate to the shoulder (via C3-C5 dermatomal distribution). The phrenic nerve mediates the pain sensation from these structures.

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