Arab Board Surgery Final Written study guide
Arab Board Surgery Final Written · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The General Surgery Final Written Examination is the summative written component of specialty certification awarded by the Arab Board of Health Specializations. It is intended for surgeons who have completed accredited general surgery residency training and who now need to show, in one sitting, that their knowledge is broad enough and current enough for independent practice. The Arab Board Surgery Final Written study guide has 10 sections and about 2,959 words.
01Basic Principles of Surgery and Perioperative Care
Healing proceeds through haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodelling. Questions test modifiers: ischaemia, diabetes, steroids, smoking, radiotherapy and infection impair healing; malnutrition and vitamin C deficiency impair collagen cross-linking.
352 words, about 2 min02Gastrointestinal Surgery
Dysphagia is progressive for solids then liquids in malignancy, but intermittent for both in achalasia. Boerhaave perforation presents with chest pain, subcutaneous emphysema and pleural effusion after vomiting; contrast study and early surgery are key.
320 words, about 2 min03Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery
Know the Couinaud segments and that the right lobe is drained by the right hepatic vein. Cirrhosis severity is scored by Child–Pugh (bilirubin, albumin, INR, ascites, encephalopathy) and MELD.
281 words, about 1 min04Breast and Endocrine Surgery
Use triple assessment: clinical, imaging (ultrasound under 40, mammogram plus ultrasound over 40) and tissue. Fibroadenomas are well-defined, mobile and common in young women; a breast abscess needs drainage, not just antibiotics.
273 words, about 1 min05Vascular Surgery
Peripheral arterial disease is assessed with the ankle–brachial index; below 0.9 is abnormal, and above 1.3 suggests medial calcification, common in diabetes and renal failure. Claudication is reproducible with exercise and relieved by rest; critical limb ischaemia is rest pain, ulceration or gangrene with objectively reduced perfusion.
306 words, about 2 min06Trauma and Emergency Surgery
Use ABCDE with cervical spine protection. Treat catastrophic haemorrhage first in the c-ABC variant.
280 words, about 1 min07Surgical Oncology
Carcinogenesis involves oncogenes, tumour suppressor genes (TP53, APC, BRCA), DNA repair defects and angiogenesis. Invasion and metastasis require basement membrane breakdown, vascular access and immune evasion.
275 words, about 1 min08Critical Care and Surgical Infection
Sepsis is life-threatening organ dysfunction from infection, defined by an increase in SOFA score of at least 2. Septic shock is sepsis with persistent hypotension requiring vasopressors and lactate above 2 mmol/L despite fluids.
293 words, about 1 min09Paediatric Surgery
Bilious vomiting in a neonate is malrotation with volvulus until excluded - urgent contrast study and surgery. Duodenal atresia gives a double bubble with no distal gas; jejunoileal atresia gives multiple dilated loops.
250 words, about 1 min10Allied Surgical Specialties
Haematuria needs upper and lower tract evaluation. Renal colic: CT of the kidneys, ureters and bladder is first-line; obstruction with sepsis needs urgent decompression by nephrostomy or stent.
329 words, about 2 min