Purpose To explore the effect of mind mapping and self-drawing on medical residents preparing for the standardized national residency training examination. Methods Eighteen residents (third year) in an ultrasound program were enrolled in this study. All residents used traditional methods plus mind mapping and self-drawing to study for the examination. The effect of the learning methods on residents was evaluated and analyzed by test scores and surveys. Results The mean pretest score was 74.33 ± 11.08, compared to a mean posttest score of 89.54 ± 4.21. For each body system— urology, obstetrics/gynecology, cardiology and alimentary system— posttest scores were significantly higher than pretest scores (P < 0.01). The difference was not significant for the superficial and general principles of the ultrasound system (P = 0.94, 0.13). However, overall, residents obtained significantly higher practical posttest scores than those on the pretest (P < 0.01), and the level of satisfaction among residents was high(94.4%). Conclusions Mind mapping and self-drawing can be applied to the review process for standardized residency training examinations and can help medical residents improve review efficiency and retain medical knowledge.

The occurrence of chyle leak after neck dissection for thyroid carcinoma is uncommon, but it usually occurs within 1–10 days after surgery. We encountered a 30-year-old patient with chyle leak 19 days after the operation for thyroid carcinoma. The initial symptom was swelling of the neck, which was quickly diagnosed as chyle leak by puncture. This report describes the patient’s presentation and discusses the conservative management of this complication. We highlight that more attention should be given to chyle leak in high-risk patients, and stricter dietary management for these patients after surgery may avoid this complication. In addition, timely diagnosis and rapid implementation of various conservative treatment measures play an important role in patient recovery.