Surgery Recall Topics: Complete High-Yield Guide

A forty-five-year-old man who smokes a lot goes to the emergency room because he has stomach pain. This pain starts suddenly. It also goes to his back. The doctors do a blood test on the man. They find out that his serum lipase is very high, four times higher than what is normally allowed for the serum lipase. The man also has a CT scan. The CT scan shows that a big part of his pancreas is damaged. In fact, forty percent of his pancreas is damaged.

The man's pancreas and the damage to it will determine his health in the future. The amount of damage to his pancreas and the man's pancreas will also decide what kind of surgery he might have to get. These are the types of situations that you will see in the PG exam for Surgery. And learning the key topics by heart is the best way to do well in them. The pancreas and its problems, like necrosis, are very important to understand in Surgery for the NEET PG exam. The Surgery questions, in PG, can be tough, but knowing the pancreas and its diseases, including pancreatic necrosis, can help you answer them correctly.

QUICK ANSWER

Surgery recall topics are really things that you need to know for the NEET PG Surgery questions. These are the things that come up again and again in the test. You should focus on things like hernias. Do you know the difference between indirect inguinal hernias? Then there are thyroid carcinomas. What is the difference between papillary and follicular? You should also know about abdominal presentations and what to do in trauma situations. Have you heard of ATLS?. You have to know how to handle hepatobiliary emergencies. If you study these topics for 14 days, you can improve your Surgery score by 15 to 20 marks. Surgery recall topics are what you need to know to do in Surgery.

NEET PG RELEVANCE

Surgery contributes 30-40 questions in NEET PG, making it one of the highest-weighted clinical subjects. Recent papers emphasize clinical vignettes, image-based questions, and integrated reasoning. Trauma management, GI surgery, and hepatobiliary topics dominated the NEET PG 2025 recall. Mastering recall topics yields maximum ROI for your preparation time.

What Are Surgery Recall Topics for NEET PG?

• Surgery recall topics are things that keep coming up in PG exams every year. These are not random things you find in textbooks, but the important stuff that makes up a big part of the questions. The thing about surgery recall topics is that they make up a part of what you need to know, but they are the basis for most of the questions you will get. Surgery recall topics are the key to doing well on the NEET PG exams because they are the things that examiners like to ask about over and over.
• When we think about recall topics, we should think of them as the important things that doctors need to know. These are the things that people who give exams like to ask about because they want to see if you can think like a doctor, understand how the body works, and know how to take care of patients. For example Hesselbachs triangle is not about anatomy. A question about Hesselbach's triangle is also testing if you can tell the difference between an inguinal hernia and an indirect inguinal hernia, and if you know how to fix them properly.
• The beauty of recall-based preparation lies in pattern recognition. When you've internalized that post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia presents with perioral tingling and positive Chvostek's sign, the clinical vignette becomes immediately recognizable regardless of how the question is framed.

Category-Wise High-Yield Surgery Topics

Endocrine Surgery (8-10 Questions Expected)

• The thyroid pathology section is really important. You need to remember the Bethesda classification for thyroid cytopathology. 
• Papillary carcinoma
• Complications after thyroid surgery 
• Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndromes need to be looked at closely. Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia 1 is a condition that affects the Pituitary, parathyroid, and Pancreas which are often referred to as the "3 Ps". On the other hand, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia 2A is a bit different, as it involves medullary thyroid carcinoma and pheochromocytoma in addition to parathyroid disease.
• The genes that cause these conditions, the MEN1 gene for Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia 1 and the RET proto-oncogene for Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia 2, are often checked for mutations.

Gastrointestinal Surgery (12-15 Questions Expected)

• Peptic ulcer disease questions are designed to test how well we understand the management of peptic ulcer disease, including the use of proton pump inhibitors, also known as PPI therapy, and getting rid of H. Pylori bacteria, which is known as H. Pylori eradication. We also need to know when surgery is necessary for peptic ulcer disease.
• Johnson's classification of ulcers is very helpful because it looks at where the ulcers are in the stomach and how that relates to acid secretion patterns in the stomach. This information helps guide the approach for gastric ulcers, which is a type of peptic ulcer disease.
• Colorectal pathology is a field. It can be something that's not so serious, or it can be really bad. For example, Familial adenomatous polyposis, or FAP for short, is a condition where people have a lot of polyps in their colon. The thing that causes FAP is a problem with the APC gene.
• If you have FAP, you are definitely going to get cancer by the time you are 40 years old. This is very different from Lynch syndrome, which is another condition that can cause cancer. The thing that goes wrong in Lynch syndrome is something called repair.
• Modified Dukes system and the TNM staging system. These systems are used a lot to understand pathology and colorectal cancer.
• Acute appendicitis is really important when it comes to emergencies. You should know where McBurney's point is located. 
• Alvarado score 
• If acute appendicitis is not diagnosed on time, it can lead to problems like perforation and abscess formation.

Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery (8-10 Questions Expected)

• Gallstone ileus and Mirizzi syndrome are things to know about gallstone disease.
• The portal hypertension questions also test your knowledge of the types of shunts, such as the difference between selective shunts, such as the Warren and DSRS, and non-selective shunts.
• We have the Ranson criteria, which we look at when the patient is first admitted and then again after 48 hours.
• We also use the APACHE II and the CT severity index to predict what is going to happen to the patient with acute pancreatitis.
• The Atlanta classification is what we use to define when acute pancreatitis causes organ failure and local complications in the patient, with acute pancreatitis.
• Gallstone disease is not about a simple infection of the gallbladder. There is something called Mirizzi syndrome.
• You should also know when to use TIPS, which is a special kind of procedure, for portal hypertension.

Trauma and Emergency Surgery (6-8 Questions Expected)

• ATLS protocols are really important because they include the survey sequence which is often remembered as ABCDE.
• Emergency thoracotomy and the principles of damage control surgery.
• Abdominal trauma and pelvic fractures are serious conditions that require quick and careful treatment.
• Burns management uses the Parkland formula and the zones of injury to guide the way they treat burns.

Hernia and Abdominal Wall (5-7 Questions Expected)

• Hesselbach's triangle.
• Inguinal hernia, or an indirect inguinal hernia.
• Femoral hernias are really something to think about. They have a neck, and that makes them more likely to get strangulated than inguinal hernias.
• The Howship-Romberg sign is a sign that something's wrong. It happens when you feel pain on the inside of your thigh when you extend or rotate your hip. This sign usually means you have an obturator hernia.
• Incisional hernia risk factors (obesity, wound infection, emergency surgery, malnutrition) and the role of mesh repair form practical management questions.

Also Read: How to Prepare for NEET PG 2026 and Achieve a Score of 650+

Comparison Tables for Quick Recall

14-Day Fast Revision Plan for Surgery

Week 1: Foundation Recall (Days 1-7)

Days 1-2: General Surgery Principles Cover wound healing phases, suture materials (absorbable vs non-absorbable), and surgical site infection classification. Review fluid and electrolyte management, especially potassium and sodium disorders. Target 100 MCQs daily from these topics.

Days 3-4: Gastrointestinal Surgery Focus on esophagus (achalasia, GERD, carcinoma), stomach (peptic ulcer, gastric carcinoma, GIST), and small intestine (Meckel's diverticulum, intestinal obstruction causes). Integrate pathology findings with surgical management.

Days 5-6: Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Master liver anatomy (Couinaud segments), portal hypertension management, gallstone complications, and acute pancreatitis severity scoring. Create comparison charts for liver abscess types (amoebic vs pyogenic).

Day 7: Revision and Mock Test. Revise Days 1-6 using flashcards. Attempt a 50-question Surgery mock test. Analyze errors and mark weak areas for Week 2 reinforcement.

Also Read: Why Brilliant Students Fail NEET PG: Psychological Insights

Week 2: Clinical Integration (Days 8-14)

Days 8-9: Endocrine Surgery Complete thyroid (nodule evaluation, carcinomas, thyroidectomy complications), parathyroid (hyperparathyroidism types), and adrenal pathology (pheochromocytoma pre-op management, Cushing syndrome). Link with Medicine and Pathology concepts.

Days 10-11: Trauma and Vascular Surgery Cover ATLS protocols, specific organ injuries (spleen, liver grading), and vascular emergencies (AAA, acute limb ischemia, DVT prophylaxis). Review Burns management comprehensively.

Days 12-13: Hernias, Colorectal, and Oncology Finish hernia types and repairs, colorectal carcinoma staging and surgery, and surgical oncology principles (margins, lymphadenectomy, adjuvant therapy indications).

Day 14: Grand Integration Full-length Surgery section mock test. Review all comparison tables. Focus on image-based question practice. Light revision of mnemonics and high-yield numbers.

High-Yield Points for NEET PG

• Post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia presents within 24-48 hours with perioral tingling; check Chvostek and Trousseau signs; treat with IV calcium gluconate
• Penetrating abdominal trauma with instability = immediate exploratory laparotomy; no imaging delays
• Posterior urethral injuries are serious and need to be handled so a retrograde urethrogram of the posterior urethral injury is necessary to figure out the best course of action, for the posterior urethral injury.
• Parkland formula for burns: 4 mL × kg × %TBSA; half in first 8 hours from injury time
• Bethesda Category IV (follicular neoplasm) on thyroid FNAC = diagnostic lobectomy required
• Severe acute pancreatitis is a serious condition, and the Ranson criteria can help doctors take action to try to save the patient's life.
• MNEMONIC for MEN 2B features: "MPhad 3MIs" – Marfanoid habitus, Pheochromocytoma, Medullary thyroid carcinoma, Mucosal neuromas
• Direct inguinal hernia = medial to the inferior epigastric vessels; Indirect = lateral
• Suture with the least tissue reactivity: Polypropylene (Prolene) – monofilament synthetic non-absorbable
• Examiners commonly test: TNM staging numbers, specific drug doses (Phenoxybenzamine before beta-blockers in pheochromocytoma), and anatomical landmarks

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions came from the Surgery in the PG exam? 

Surgery makes up about 35 to 40percent of the questions. General Surgery by itself is 25 to 30 questions. This makes General Surgery one of the important subjects that people need to study for. Surgery and its related subjects, like Orthopedics and Anesthesia, really need some time to prepare for.

What are the most important surgery topics for NEET PG 2025?

The exams want to see if I can use my knowledge of thyroid disorders, hernias, acute abdomen presentations, hepatobiliary emergencies, colorectal carcinoma, and trauma management to make decisions.

What is the best book for Surgery NEET PG preparation?

The book SRB's Manual of Surgery by Sriram Bhat is really important for students who want to become doctors. On the other hand, Bailey and Love is a good book for people who want to learn a lot about surgery.

How should you approach image-based questions of surgery?

Image-based surgery questions can be tricky, so you should take your time. 50 % of the questions in the recent NEET PG exams have pictures of patients. Medical students should practice looking at these pictures to learn about medical problems. For example, they should know what a Courvoisier gallbladder looks like, which is a gallbladder that you can feel and is not painful when you press on it. It is often seen in people who have jaundice. They should also know about the Sister Mary Joseph nodule, which is a kind of cancer that shows up near the belly button. They should know about Virchow's node, which is a swollen lymph node above the collarbone on the left side.

Is it really possible for me to complete the surgery revision in last 2 weeks? 

Yes, it is an idea to study with focused recall-based revision. The 14-day plan is helpful because it focuses on the topics that appear over and over again in examinations. This plan only works if you have already read through all the material at least one time. When you are revising at the moment, you should be going over what you already know, not trying to learn completely new things.

Which Surgery topics overlap with Medicine & Pathology?

Surgery topics that overlap with medicine and pathology are tumor removal, organ transplant, wound care, Endocrine disorders (thyroid, adrenal), GI pathology (IBD, colorectal carcinoma), hepatobiliary diseases (cirrhosis, portal hypertension), and oncology principles show significant overlap. Integrated revision connecting surgical management with underlying pathophysiology improves retention and clinical reasoning ability.

CLINICAL PEARL

In surgery, the question is never about what you know. It is about what you would do next. You have to think about the patient. What is best for them? Mastering the surgery plans is important: you need to know when to watch the patient and when to operate, when pictures of the inside of the body help, and when they just slow things down, and when to ask for assistance. The person giving the test is not checking what you remember. They want to know if you would keep the patient safe at a tough time like 3 AM, in a hospital that is not in a big city. This is what makes some people really good at Surgery what separates the people who get the scores from the rest of the people who take the test.

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