| Letter |
Sign |
Name |
Field |
Associated conditions |
External link
(if no internal link) |
Descriptor |
| A |
Aaron sign |
Charles Dettie Aaron |
surgery |
appendicitis |
|
epigastric pain with pressure on McBurney's point |
| A |
Abadie's sign |
Jean Marie Charles Abadie |
endocrinology |
Graves' disease |
|
levator palpebrae superioris spasm |
| A |
Abadie's symptom |
Joseph Louis Irenée Jean Abadie |
neurology |
tabes dorsalis |
|
absence of pain on Achilles tendon pressure |
| A |
Abderhalden reaction |
Emil Abderhalden |
obstetrics |
pregnancy |
|
serum reaction;obsolete |
| A |
Abelin reaction |
Isaak Abelin |
infectious disease |
syphilis |
|
presence of arsenical anti-syphilitic;obsolete |
| A |
Addis count |
Thomas Addis |
nephrology |
pyelonephritis |
(needed) |
quantitative cells and casts in 24hr. urine |
| A |
Adie pupil |
William John Adie |
neurology |
|
|
|
| A |
Adson's sign |
Alfred Adson |
vascular surgery |
thoracic outlet syndrome |
|
obliteration of radial pulse with manouevres |
| A |
Alexander's law |
? |
neurology, neurosurgery, ENT |
vestibular lesions |
|
describes nystagmus in vestibular lesions |
| A |
Allen's test |
Edgar Van Nuys Allen |
vascular surgery, critical care(1) |
arterial supply of the hand |
|
tests for presence of palmar ulnar-radial anastomosis (palmar arch) |
| A |
Apley grind test |
Alan Graham Apley |
orthopaedic surgery |
meniscal lesions |
|
manouevres to elicit knee pain |
| A |
Argyll Robertson pupils |
Douglas Moray Cooper Lamb Argyll Robertson |
neurology |
neurosyphilis |
|
light-near dissociation |
| A |
Arneth count |
Josef Arneth |
haematology, nutrition |
folate deficiency |
|
lobulation of neutrophil nuclei |
| A |
Aschheim-Zondek test |
Selmar Aschheim, Bernhard Zondek |
obstetrics |
normal pregnancy |
synd/1834 at Who Named It |
oestral reaction in mouse injected with pregnant urine |
| A |
Aschoff body |
Karl Albert Ludwig Aschoff |
rheumatology, pathology |
rheumatic fever |
|
foci of interstitial inflammatiuon in the myocardium and elsewhere |
| A |
Ashby techniques |
Winifred Ashby |
haematology, pathology |
haemolysis |
(needed) |
agglutination test for eryhrocyte survival |
| A |
Auberger's blood group |
Auberger (patient) |
haematology |
normal physiology |
(needed) |
Aua antigen |
| A |
Auenbrugger's sign |
Josef Leopold Auenbrugger |
cardiology |
pericardial effusion |
synd/284 at Who Named It |
bulging epigastrium |
| A |
Auer rods |
John Auer |
hematology |
acute myeloid leukemia |
|
cytoplasmic inclusions in myeloblasts |
| A |
Auspitz's sign |
Heinrich Auspitz |
dermatology |
psoriasis |
|
punctate bleeding when scales are scraped |
| A |
Austin Flint murmur |
Austin Flint |
cardiology |
aortic insufficiency |
|
mid-diastolic rumble heard at apex |
| B |
Babinski sign |
Joseph Babinski |
neurology |
abnormal plantar reflex |
|
dorsiflexion of the hallux with fanning of the remaining phalanges upon soft stimulation of the lateral plantar surface of the foot |
| B |
Bainbridge reflex |
Francis Arthur Bainbridge |
cardiology |
normal physiology |
|
increase in heart rate with increase in circulating blood volume |
| B |
Balbiani rings |
Edouard-Gérard Balbiani |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| B |
Ballance's sign |
Charles Alfred Ballance |
general surgery |
abdominal/splenic trauma |
(needed) |
percussive dullness left flank, LUQ, percussive rsonance right flank |
| B |
Bárány test |
Robert Bárány |
ENT,neurology |
vertigo, vestibulsr dysfunction |
(needed) |
nystagmus elicited by hot or cold irrigation of ear canal |
| B |
Barlow's maneuver |
Sir Thomas Barlow, 1st Baronet |
paediatrics, orthopaedic surgery |
hip dysplasia |
(needed) |
dislocation on adduction of hip |
| B |
Bart hemoglobin |
Barts Hospital |
Obstetrics, pathology |
indicates a specific cause of death in some stillborns |
(needed) |
Loss of all four alpha-globin genes (total alpha-thalassemia) leads to severely anemic stillborn babies with small amounts of an abnormal hemoglobin composed of four gamma sub-units (Bart's Hemoglobin) |
| B |
Bastian-Bruns sign |
Henry Charlton Bastian, Ludwig Bruns |
neurology |
spinal cord transection |
(needed) |
loss of muscle tone and reflexes below lesion level |
| B |
Battle's sign |
William Henry Battle |
neurosurgery/traumatology |
basal skull fracture |
|
mastoid ecchymosis |
| B |
Beau's lines |
Joseph Honoré Simon Beau |
dermatology, internal medicine |
multiple, including trauma |
|
transverse ridges on nails |
| B |
Beck's triad |
Claude Schaeffer Beck |
cardiology |
cardiac tamponade |
|
hypotension, increased central venous pressure (JVP), distant heart sounds |
| B |
Becker's sign |
Otto Heinrich Enoch Becker |
ophthalmology, endocrinology |
thyrotoxicosis |
(needed) |
visible pulsation of retinal arteries |
| B |
Beevor's sign |
Charles Edward Beevor |
neurology, neurosurgery |
spinal trauma at T10, als,fsmd |
|
caudal movement of navel on cervical flexion |
| B |
Bekhterev- Jacobsohn reflex |
Vladimir Bekhterev, Louis Jacobsohn |
neurology |
|
|
stroking dorsal radial skin, with forearm in supination, elicits wrist and finger flexion |
| B |
Bekhterev-Mendel reflex |
Vladimir Bekhterev, Kurt Mendel |
neurology |
pyramidal tract lesions |
(needed) |
toe flexion on percussion of dorsum of foot |
| B |
Bence Jones protein |
Henry Bence Jones |
hematology |
multiple myeloma |
|
|
| B |
Benedict solution |
Stanley Rossiter Benedict |
endocrinology |
diabetes mellitus |
|
reagent for presence of monosaccharides |
| B |
Berger wave (rhythm) |
Hans Berger |
neurology |
normal physiology |
(needed) |
electroencephalographic alpha wave |
| B |
Bezold-Jarisch reflex |
Albert von Bezold, Adolf Jarisch |
pharmacology, toxicology |
effect of certain alkaloids |
(needed) |
apnea, bradycardia, hypotension |
| B |
Bielschowsky's tilt test |
Alfred Bielschowsky |
neurology, ophthalmology |
lesions of cranial nerve iv |
(needed) |
test for palsy of superior oblique |
| B |
Bing's sign |
Paul Robert Bing |
neurology,ENT |
hearing loss |
(needed) |
see Rinne test |
| B |
Biot's respiration |
C. Biot |
neurology |
brain stem herniation |
|
quick shallow respirations followed by period of apnea |
| B |
Bitot's spots |
Pierre Bitot |
ophthalmology |
vitamin A deficiency |
|
spots of keratin deposition in the conjunctiva |
| B |
Bjerrum scotoma |
Jannik Peterson Bjerrum |
ophthalmology |
glaucoma |
(needed) |
comet shaped visual field defect,extending temporally from the physiological blind spot |
| B |
Blumberg sign |
Jacob Moritz Blumberg |
surgery |
peritonitis |
|
rebound tenderness |
| B |
Boas' point |
Ismar Isidor Boas |
gastroenterology |
gastric ulcer |
(needed) |
dermal hyperaesthesia just left of T12 |
| B |
Boas' sign |
Ismar Isidor Boas |
gastroenterology |
acute cholecystitis |
|
dermal hyperaesthesia at inferior angle of R scapula |
| B |
Bodansky unit |
Meyer Bodansky |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| B |
Boston's sign |
L.N. Boston |
ophthalmology, endocrinology |
thyrotoxicosis |
|
spasmodic ptosis on downward gaze |
| B |
Bouchard's nodes |
Charles-Joseph Bouchard |
rheumatology |
osteoarthritis |
|
bony outgrowths on dorsa of proximal interphalangeal joints |
| B |
Bracht-Wachter bodies |
Erich Franz Eugen Bracht, H. Wächter |
cardiology |
infective endocarditis |
|
yellow-white spots in the myocardium |
| B |
Branham's sign |
Henry Branham |
|
|
(needed) |
pressing on proximal portion of AV fistula results in bradycardia |
| B |
Braxton Hicks contraction |
John Braxton Hicks |
obstetrics |
normal pregnancy |
|
"false labour". sporadic contractions beginning as early as mid 1st trimester |
| B |
Brewer infarcts |
George Emerson Brewer |
nephrology, pathology |
pyelonephritis |
(needed) |
dark red wedge shaped areas on kidney section resembling infarcts |
| B |
Broadbent inverted sign |
Sir William Broadbent, 1st Baronet |
cardiology |
L atrial hypertrophy |
(needed) |
systole palpable in posterior chest wall |
| B |
Brissaud's reflex |
Édouard Brissaud |
neurology |
|
(needed) |
plantar stimulation elicits contraction of tensor fasciae latae |
| B |
Broadbent sign |
Sir William Broadbent, 1st Baronet |
cardiology |
adhesive pericarditis |
(needed) |
recession of L inferior intercostal spaces |
| B |
Broca aphasia |
Paul Broca |
neurology, neuropsychology |
developmental or other pathology of various frontal cortical areas |
|
expressive aphasia |
| B |
Brodie-Trendelenburg percussion test |
Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, 1st Baronet, Friedrich Trendelenburg |
general medicine, surgery |
varicose veins |
|
superficial vein is percussed proximally;if impulse is felt over vein distally, valvular incompetence is present. |
| B |
Brodie-Trendelenburg test |
Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, 1st Baronet, Friedrich Trendelenburg |
general medicine,surgery |
varicose veins |
|
identifies level of valvular incompetence |
| B |
Brudzinski neck sign |
Józef Brudziński |
neurology |
meningitis |
|
neck flexion elicits hip and knee flexion |
| B |
Brudzinski cheek sign |
Józef Brudzinski |
neurology |
meningitis |
|
pressure beneath zygoma elicits flexion of forearm |
| B |
Brudzinski symphiseal sign |
Józef Brudzinski |
neurology |
meningitis |
|
pressure over symphisis pubis elicits knee, hip flexion and leg abduction |
| B |
Brudzinski reflex |
Józef Brudzinski |
neurology |
meningitis |
|
passive flexion of knee to abdomen elicits flexion of contralateral hip and knee |
| B |
Bruit de Roger |
Henri-Louis Roger |
paediatric cardiology |
ventricular septal defect |
(needed) |
loud pansystolic murmur |
| B |
Bruns ataxia |
Ludwig Bruns |
neurology |
frontal lobe lesions |
(needed) |
difficulty moving feet in contact with floor, tendency to fall backwards |
| B |
Brushfield spots |
Thomas Brushfield |
ophthalmology, genetics |
Downs' syndrome or non-pathological |
|
greyish-white spots at periphery of iris |
| B |
Burton line |
Henry Burton |
toxicology |
lead poisoning |
NEJM 354:e21 5/18/06 |
Blue discolouration of the gingival border |
|
| C |
Cabot rings |
Richard Cabot |
hematology |
lead poisoning, anaemias |
|
threadlike strands in erythrocytes |
| C |
Caput medusae |
Medusa |
gastroenterology, surgery |
portal hypertension |
|
distended veins radiating from umbilicus |
| C |
Cardarelli's sign |
Antonio Cardarelli |
cardiology, thoracic surgery |
aortic arch dilatation or aneurysm, mediastinal tumour |
|
left displacement of trachea elicits palpable pulsation of same |
| C |
Carey Coombs murmur |
Carey Coombs |
cardiology,rheumatology |
rheumatic fever |
(needed) |
mid-diastolic rumble |
| C |
Carnett's test |
John Carnett |
primary care, surgery |
abdominal mass and/or pain |
Am J Med Sci 174 (1927): 579–599 |
supine patient lifts head from bed;↑ pain - abdominal wall ;↓ pain - intraperitoneal |
| C |
Carvallo sign |
José Carvallo |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| C |
Casal collar |
Gaspar Casal |
nutrition |
pellagra (niacin deficiency) |
[1] |
widely variable collar of dermatitis characteristically in c3,c4 dermatomes |
| C |
Casoni test |
Tommaso Casoni |
infectious disease, tropical medicine |
hydatid disease |
(needed) |
intradermal antigen |
| C |
Celsus signs of inflammation |
Aulus Cornelius Celsus |
various |
inflammation |
|
1. Rubor (redness) 2. Tumor (swelling)3. Caldor (heat) 4. Dolor (pain) |
| C |
Chaddock reflex |
Charles Gilbert Chaddock |
neurology |
pyramidal lesions, corticospinal tract lesions |
|
extension of big toe with stimulation of skin over lateral malleolus |
| C |
Chadwick sign |
James Read Chadwick |
obstetrics |
pregnancy |
|
cyanosis of vulva, vagina and cervix |
| C |
Charcot's triad |
Jean-Martin Charcot |
surgery |
ascending cholangitis |
|
jaundice, fever and chills, RUQ pain |
| C |
Charcot's triad |
Jean-Martin Charcot |
neurology |
multiple sclerosis |
|
nystagmus, intention tremor ,staccato speech |
| C |
Charcot-Leyden crystals |
Jean-Martin Charcot, Ernst Viktor von Leyden |
pathology |
any disorder characterized by eosinophil proliferation, e.g. ascariasis |
|
lysophospholipase crystals in various tissues |
| C |
Cheyne-Stokes respiration |
John Cheyne, William Stokes |
palliative care |
|
|
|
| C |
Churchill-Cope reflex |
Edward Delos Churchill, Oliver Cope |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| C |
Chvostek's sign |
František Chvostek |
endocrinology |
hypocalcemia |
|
tapping over facial nerve elicits abnormal muscle contraction(s) |
| C |
Claybrook sign |
Edwin Claybrook |
emergency medicine, surgery |
blunt abdominal trauma |
(needed) |
heart and/or breath sounds heard through abdominal wall indicate rupture of viscus |
| C |
Clutton's joints |
Henry Hugh Clutton |
paediatrics |
hereditary syphilis |
(needed) |
painless symmetrical hydrarthroses, particularly of the knees |
| C |
Codman's triangle |
Ernest Armory Codman |
oncology, orthopaedic surgery, radiology |
osteosarcoma, ewing's sarcoma |
|
triangular subperiosteal growth |
| C |
Comby sign |
Jules Comby |
paediatrics |
rubeola |
(needed) |
whitish patches on gingiva and buccal mucosa |
| C |
Coombs test |
Robin Coombs |
hematology |
hemolytic anemia |
|
|
| C |
Coons fluorescent antibody method |
Albert Coons |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| C |
Corrigan pulse |
Dominic John Corrigan |
cardiology |
aortic insufficiency |
|
carotid pulsations with abrupt ascending and descending phases |
| C |
Councilman body |
William Councilman |
infectious disease |
yellow fever, viral haemorrhagic fevers |
|
eosinophilic globules in liver |
| C |
Courvoisier's law |
Ludwig Georg Courvoisier |
gastroenterology |
obstructive jaundice |
|
palpable gall bladder w/ painless jaundice unlikely to be cholelithiasis |
| C |
Crichton-Browne sign |
Sir James Crichton-Browne |
neuropsychiatry |
'general paresis' |
(needed) |
tremor at corners of mouth and of outer canthus |
| C |
Crowe sign |
Samuel Crowe |
dermatology (?) |
neurofibromatosis type I |
|
axillary freckling |
| C |
Cruveilhier-Baumgarten bruit |
Jean Cruveilhier, Paul Clemens von Baumgarten |
internal medicine |
cirrhosis;portal hypertension |
(needed) |
periumbilical hum |
| C |
Cullen's sign |
Thomas Cullen |
surgery |
intraabdominal haemorrhage |
|
ecchymosis around umbilicus predicts onset of acute pancreatitis |
| C |
Curschmann spirals |
Hans Curschmann |
|
|
|
|
| C |
Cushing's triad |
Harvey Cushing |
neurology |
raised intracranial pressure |
|
elevated systolic bp, bradycardia, irregular respiration |
| D |
Dagher Maneuver |
Nabil Dagher |
trauma surgery |
penetrating pelvic trauma |
|
bimanual palpation of foreign object lodged in pelvis with one digit in an incision lateral to the anus and the other digit inserted in the rectum |
| D |
Dahl's sign |
? |
pulmonology |
COPD |
[2] |
pigmented calluses on anterior surface of thighs (from leaning on elbows) |
| D |
Dalrymple sign |
John Dalrymple |
ophthalmology, endocrinology |
thyrotoxicosis |
synd/494 at Who Named It |
widened palpebral opening |
| D |
Dance's sign |
Jean-Baptiste Hippolyte Dance |
(paediatric)surgery |
ileo-cecal intussusception |
synd/3355 at Who Named It |
empty LLQ (retracted iliac fossa) |
| D |
Darier's sign |
? |
allergy,dermatology |
urticaria pigmentosa |
|
dermatographia |
| D |
Dawson's fingers |
james walker dawson |
neurology |
multiple sclerosis |
[3] [4] |
characteristic fingerlike appearance of lateral ventricle on mri, ct, or at autopsy |
| D |
De Musset's sign |
? |
cardiology |
aortic insufficiency |
|
head nodding in time with heartbeat |
| D |
Dennie's lines also Dennie's fold |
? |
dermatology |
atopic dermatitis |
([5]) |
accentuated fold in the inferior palpebrum |
| D |
Destot's sign |
? |
orthopaedic surgery |
pelvic fracture |
[6] |
ecchymosis superior to inguinal ligament, in scrotum or of thigh |
| D |
Dix-Hallpike test |
? |
general medicine |
Otoconia crystals in inner ear |
synd/3615 at Who Named It |
Elicitation of extreme vertigo upon lateral movement of a patient's head when lying in a supine position is indicative of a condition known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) |
| D |
Döhle bodies - |
Karl Gottfried Paul Döhle |
pathology |
various including trauma and neoplasm |
|
basophilic inclusions in peripheral cytoplasm of neutrophils |
| D |
Doi's sign |
? |
|
|
[7] |
|
| D |
Dunphy sign |
? |
surgery |
appendicitis |
[8] |
increase in abdominal pain on coughing |
| D |
Duroziez's sign |
? |
cardiology |
aortic insufficiency |
|
double bruit heard over femoral artery when it is compressed distally (see Traube's sign) |
| E |
Elschnig spots |
Anton Elschnig |
ophthalmology |
hypertensive retinopathy |
|
|
| E |
Epstein's pearls |
? |
paediatrics |
normal newborn |
|
cystic papules on palate |
| E |
Ewart's sign |
? |
cardiology |
pericardial effusion |
|
percussive dullness, aegophony and bronchial breath sounds at L scapular tip |
| F |
Finkelstein's test |
Harry Finkelstein |
rheumatology |
DeQuervain's tenosynovitis |
|
|
| F |
Forschimer spots |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| F |
Fothergill's sign |
? |
|
|
|
|
| F |
Fox's sign |
George Henry Fox |
gastroenterology |
haemorrhagic pancreatitis |
(needed) |
ecchymosis of inguinal ligament (blood tracks retroperitoneally) |
| F |
Frank's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| F |
Friedreich's sign |
? |
cardiology |
constrictive pericarditis, tricuspid insufficiency |
|
collapse of distended neck veins at diastole |
| F |
Froment's sign |
Jules Froment |
neurology |
ulnar nerve palsy |
|
patient required to hold paper between thumb and palm (against attempt to withdraw);ability to do so is assessed |
| G |
Gallavardin phenomenon |
? |
cardiology |
aortic stenosis |
(needed) |
dissociation of musical and noisy elements in ejection murmur |
| G |
Gandy-Gamma nodules |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| G |
Gerhardt's sign |
Carl Jakob Adolph Christian Gerhardt |
|
|
[9][10] |
controversial: see references |
| G |
Goetz sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| G |
Gond's maneuver |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| G |
Goodell's sign |
? |
obstetrics |
|
|
|
| G |
Goodsall's rule |
? |
gastroenterology, general surgery |
anal fistula |
|
anatomical relationships, differentiation of fistula types |
| G |
Gordon's maneuver |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| G |
Gottron's papules |
? |
rheumatology |
dermatomyositis |
|
roseate discolouration over knuckles |
| G |
Gowers' sign (Gowers' maneuver) |
William Richard Gowers |
neurology |
muscular dystrophy |
|
|
| G |
Graham Steell murmur |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| G |
Grey Turner's sign |
George Grey Turner |
surgery |
retroperitoneal hemorrhage |
|
flank ecchymosis |
| G |
Griffith's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| G |
Grotton's lesions |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| G |
Gunn's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| H |
Hamman's sign |
Louis Hamman |
thoracic surgery |
oesophageal perforation w/ pneumomediastinum |
|
crepitus in sync w/ heartbeat but not respiration |
| H |
Hampton's hump |
Aubrey Otis Hampton |
pulmonolgy, radiology |
pulmonary embolus w/ infarct |
|
wedge shaped consolidation at periphery w/ base distal |
| H |
Hannington-Kiff sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| H |
Harrison's groove |
? |
|
|
|
|
| H |
Hatchcock's sign |
? |
paediatrics, infectious disease |
mumps |
(needed) |
tenderness behind angle of jaw (typically before swelling is evident) |
| H |
Heberden's node |
William Heberden |
rheumatology |
osteoarthritis |
|
same as bouchard's nodes, but over dip joints |
| H |
Hegar's sign |
Ernst Ludwig Alfred Hegar |
obstetrics |
normal pregnancy |
|
softening of cervical isthmus appearin between 4th and 6th weeks (usually) |
| H |
Hess test |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| H |
Hippocratic face |
Hippocrates |
palliative care |
impending death |
|
|
| H |
Hippocratic fingers |
Hippocrates |
pulmonary medicine |
chronic hypoxia |
|
clubbing of distal phalanges |
| H |
Hirschberg test |
Julius Hirschberg |
ophthalmology |
strabismus |
|
corneal reflection centred (-) or not centred (+) on pupil |
| H |
Hoffman's sign |
Johann Hoffman |
neurology |
corticospinal tract lesions |
|
tapping distal phalanx of 3rd or 4th finger elicits flexion of same in thumb |
| H |
Hollenhorst plaque |
Robert Hollenhorst |
ophthalmology |
hypertension, coronary artery disease, and/or diabetes |
|
cholesterol embolus(i) of retinal artery(ies) |
| H |
Homan's sign |
John Homans |
|
deep venous thrombosis |
|
knee bent, ankle abruptly dorsiflexed,popliteal pain |
| H |
Hoover's sign |
Charles F. Hoover |
neurology, psychiatry |
lower extremety paresis |
(needed) |
differentiates organic from non-organic etiology |
| H |
Howship-Romberg sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| H |
Hutchinson freckle |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| H |
Hutchinson pupil |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| H |
Hutchinson's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| H |
Hutchinson's teeth also Hutchinson's incisors |
Sir Jonathan Hutchinson |
pediatrics |
congenital syphilis |
|
small,widely spaced incisors,w/ notched biting surfaces |
| H |
Hutchinson's triad |
Sir Jonathan Hutchinson |
[paediatrics |
congenital syphilis |
|
interstitial keratitis,nerve deafness, Hutchinson's teeth |
| J |
Janeway lesion |
Theodore Caldwell Janeway |
cardiology |
infective endocarditis |
|
palmar or plantar erythematous or haemorrhagic papules |
| J |
Jendrassik maneuver |
Ernő Jendrassik |
neurology |
hyporeflexia |
|
compares patellar reflex w/ and w/o distraction |
| J |
Joffroy sign |
? |
|
|
|
|
| J |
John Thomas sign aka Throckmorton sign |
N/A |
radiology |
various, including Reiter's syndrome |
(needed) |
penile shadow points at affected hip (+) or unaffected hip (-) (2) |
| J |
Jolly test |
Friedrich Jolly |
neurology |
myasthenia gravis or Lambert-Eaton syndrome |
(needed) |
sources conflict on procedure, but agree it is to differentiate these disorders |
| J |
Jones criteria |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| K |
Kanavel's sign |
? |
orthopedics,rheumatology |
tenosynovitis of flexor digitorum tendon |
http://www.emedicine.com/orthoped/TOPIC97.HTM |
(1) finger held in slight flexion, (2) fusiform swelling, (3) tenderness along the flexor tendon sheath, and (4) pain with passive extension of the digit. |
| K |
Kayser-Fleischer ring |
? |
neurology,gastroenterology |
Wilson's disease(hepatolenticular degeneration) |
|
ring of brownish copper deposit at corneo-scleral junction |
| K |
Kehr's sign |
Hans Kehr |
trauma surgery |
ruptured spleen |
|
referred pain to L shoulder |
| K |
Kelly's sign |
Howard Atwood Kelly |
surgery |
|
(needed) |
visible response of ureter when touched (means of identifying same) |
| K |
Kerley lines |
Peter Kerley |
radiology |
pulmonary edema |
|
|
| K |
Kernig's sign |
Woldemar Kernig |
neurology |
meningism,meningitis, subarachnoid haemorrhage |
synd/2200 at Who Named It |
hip and knee fully flexed, extension of knee elicits pain and/or opisthotonus |
| K |
Koebner's phenomenon |
Heinrich Koebner |
dermatology |
various conditions |
|
|
| K |
Koeppe's nodules |
Leonhard Koeppe |
ophthalmology |
uveitis |
|
granulomatous nodules at pupillary margin |
| K |
Koplik's spots |
Henry Koplik |
pediatrics |
measles |
|
|
| K |
Korotkoff sounds |
Nikolai Korotkov |
cardiology |
auscultatory sphygmomanometry |
|
Korotkov described 5 sounds. Only the first (the onset of audible sound,and corresponding to systolic pressure) and the fifth (sound becomes inaudible,corresponding to diastolic pressure) are of practical clinical significance (however,see:Auscultatory gap) |
| K |
Kussmaul breathing or respiration |
Adolph Kussmaul |
endocrinology |
metabolic acidosis |
|
laboured deep breathing with normal or reduced frequency |
| K |
Kussmaul's sign |
Adolph Kussmaul |
cardiology |
various, including right side failure |
|
increased jugular distension on inspiration |
| K |
Kveim test |
Morten Ansgar Kveim |
pulmonary medicine |
sarcoidosis |
|
intradermal injection of lymphatic extract from known sufferer; obsolete |
| L |
Lachman maneuver |
John Lachman |
orthopedic surgery |
anterior cruciate ligament injury |
|
modified anterior drawer test with knee in less flexion |
| L |
Ladin's sign |
? |
obstetrics |
normal pregnancy |
|
softening of uterus; same as Hegar's sign |
| L |
Lancisi's sign |
? |
|
|
|
|
| L |
Lasègue's sign |
Charles Lasègue |
neurosurgery, orthpaedic surgery |
lumbar disc lesions, sciatica |
|
better known as straight leg raise test |
| L |
Leopold's maneuver |
? |
obstetrics |
|
synd/3225 at Who Named It |
determination of fetal lie |
| L |
Leser-Trelat sign |
? |
internal medicine |
malignant neoplasm |
|
sudden onset of multiple pruritic seborrheic keratoses |
| L |
Levine's sign |
? |
|
|
|
|
| L |
Lhermitte's sign |
Jean Lhermitte |
neurology |
|
|
|
| L |
Lisch nodule |
Karl Lisch |
ophthalmology |
type I neurofibromatosis |
|
yellow brown hamartomata on iris |
| L |
Lisker's sign |
? |
internal medicine |
deep venous thrombosis |
|
tenderness on percussion of antero-medial tibia |
| L |
Litten's sign |
? |
cardiology |
infective endocarditis |
eMedicine |
cotton-wool exudate in the retina |
| L |
Louvel's sign |
? |
internal medicine |
deep venous thrombosis |
(needed) |
valsalva (cough, sneeze)increases pain along course of suspect vein;proximal pressure prevents this |
| L |
Lowenberg's sign |
? |
|
deep vein thrombosis |
|
|
| M |
MacDonald triad |
John M. MacDonald |
psychiatry |
sociopathic personality disorder |
|
eneuresis, firesetting and animal torture predictive of future criminal behaviour |
| M |
Macewen's sign |
Sir William Macewen |
neurology, neurosurgery |
hydrocephalus, brain abscess |
|
resonance on percussion of fronto-temporo-parietal suture |
| M |
Magnan's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
Mantoux test |
Charles Mantoux |
infectious disease |
tuberculosis |
|
intradermal protein derivative - diameter of wheal evaluated |
| M |
Marcus Gunn pupil |
Robert Marcus Gunn |
ophthalmology, neurology |
severe retinal disease, lesion of optic nerve anterior to chiasm |
|
reduced pupillary response when light swings from affected side |
| M |
Marie's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
Markle sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
Mayne's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
McBurney's point |
Charles McBurney |
surgery |
appendicitis |
|
2/3 of the way lateral on a line from umbilicus to anterior superior iliac spine (corresponds to junction of vermiform appendix and cecum) |
| M |
McConnell's sign |
? |
cardiology |
pulmonary embolus |
(needed) |
|
| M |
McDonald's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
McMurray test |
Thomas Porter McMurray |
orthopaedics |
meniscal tear |
|
knee extended, valgus stress applied, leg rotated produces palpable or audible click |
| M |
Means-Lerman scratch |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
Mees' lines |
R.A. Mees |
toxicology |
arsenic or heavy metal poisoning |
|
transverse white lines across the nails |
| M |
Mentzer index |
? |
hematology |
microcytic anemia |
|
differentiates iron deficiency anaemia from beta thalassaemia |
| M |
Miller-Fisher test |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
Monash sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
Möbius's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
Muehrckle's nails |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
Mulder's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| M |
Müller's maneuver |
? |
|
|
|
|
| M |
Müller's sign |
Friedrich Müller |
cardiology |
aortic insufficiency |
|
visible pulsation or bobbing of uvula |
| M |
Murphy's punch sign |
John B. Murphy |
|
perinephric abscess |
|
|
| M |
Murphy's sign |
John B. Murphy |
surgery |
cholecystitis |
|
hesitation on inspiration while gall bladder is palpated |
| M |
Myerson's sign |
? |
neurology |
Parkinson's disease |
|
inability to resist blinking when glabella is percussed |
| N |
Naegele's rule |
Franz Karl Naegele |
gynecology |
gestation |
|
method of estimating due date |
| N |
Nardi test |
George Nardi |
gastroenterology |
dysfunction of sphincter of Oddi |
|
administration of morphine and neostigmine reproduces sharp LUQ pain; not in general use |
| N |
Nikolsky's sign |
? |
dermatology |
various,including pemphigus vulgaris |
|
mild shear stress applied to skin, bulla forms |
| O |
O'Brien's test |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| O |
O'Donoghue's triad |
D. O'Donoghue |
orthopaedics, sports medicine |
knee injury |
|
coincidence of anterior cruciate injury,medial collateral injury and meniscal tear |
| O |
Oliver's sign |
William S. Oliver |
cardiology |
aortic arch aneurysm |
|
caudal movement of trachea with systole |
| O |
Oppenheim's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| O |
Ortolani's sign |
Marino Ortolani |
pediatrics & orthopedics |
congenital hip dislocation |
/ortolanis_test_for_congenital_hip_dislocation |
|
| O |
Osborn wave |
J.J. Osborn |
cardiology, emergency medicine |
hypothermia |
|
positive deflection at QRS-ST junction |
| O |
Osler's node |
Sir William Osler,bt. |
internal medicine |
various, including SBE and SLE |
|
painful red lesions on the pads of the fingers and plantar surfaces |
| O |
Osler's sign |
Sir William Osler, 1st baronet Osler |
internal medicine |
atherosclerosis |
|
falsely elevated bp reading due to incompressibility of calcified vessels |
| P |
Palla's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| P |
Pastia's sign |
Dominic Pastia |
paediatrics |
scarlet fever |
(needed) (Associated with Scarlatiniform rash and strep pyogenes) |
lines of confluent petechiae in skin creases |
| P |
Patrick's test |
? |
|
sacroiliitis |
|
|
| P |
Pemberton's sign |
? |
thoracic surgery |
retrosternal mass w/ superior vena cava syndrome |
|
arms elevated over head elicits facial plethora, distended neck veins and inspiratory stridor |
| P |
Phalen's maneuver |
George Phalen |
physiatry, rheumatology, hand surgery |
carpal tunnel syndrome |
|
30-60 seconds of full forced flexion of wrist elicits symptoms |
| P |
Piskacek's sign |
? |
obstetrics |
normal pregnancy |
(needed) |
palpable lateral bulge at tubal-uterine junction; present at 7-8 weeks |
| P |
Plummer's nail |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| P |
Pratt's sign |
? |
internal medicine |
deep venous thrombosis |
(needed) |
pain elicited by compression of posterior calf |
| Q |
Queckenstedt's maneuver |
? |
|
spinal stenosis |
|
|
| Q |
Quincke's sign |
? |
cardio;ogy |
aortic insufficiency |
|
visible pulsation in ungual capillary bed |
| R |
Reynolds' pentad |
B.M. Reynolds |
gastroenterology |
ascending cholangitis |
|
Charcot's triad + hypotension and altered mental state |
| R |
Riesman's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| R |
Rigler's sign aka double wall sign |
Leo G. Rigler |
radiology, abdominal surgery |
pneumoperitoneum |
|
gas outlines both mucosal and serosal surfaces of bowel |
| R |
Rinne test |
Heinrich Rinne |
ENT,neurology,audiometry |
hearing loss |
|
comparison of air conduction to bone conduction differentiates sensorineural from conductive deafness |
| R |
Romana's sign |
Cecilio Romana |
tropical medicine |
Chagas' disease |
|
painless unilateral periorbital swelling |
| R |
Romberg test |
Moritz H. Romberg |
neurology, other |
dorsal column lesions, cerebllar lesions, etoh intoxication |
|
differentiates proprioceptive from cerebellar ataxia |
| R |
Rosenbach's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| R |
Roth's spots |
? |
ophthalmolgy, internal medicine |
various, including SBE and systemic vasculitides |
(needed) |
retinal haemorrhages w/ pale centres |
| R |
Rovsing's sign |
Niels Rovsing Kimpel |
eneral surgery |
appendicitis |
|
palpation of LLQ elicits pain in RLQ |
| R |
Rumpel-Leede sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| R |
Russell's sign |
? |
psychiatry |
bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa |
|
scarring of the dorsum of one hand(contact with incisors when purging) |
| S |
Salus's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| S |
Schafer's maneuver |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| S |
Schamroth's window test |
Leo Schamroth |
pulmonolgy,cardiology |
chronic hypoxia |
|
identifies clubbing of distal phalanges |
| S |
Schiller's Iodine Test |
? |
gynecology |
|
(needed) |
|
| S |
Schilling test |
? |
internal medicine, gastroenteroogy |
pernicious anaemia, coeliac disease, other malabsorption disorders |
|
B12 radioassay;rare |
| S |
Schirmer's test |
? |
ophthalmology |
keratoconjunctivitis sicca,as in Sjogren's syndrome |
|
quantifies lacrimal secretion |
| S |
Schober test |
Paul Schober |
physiatry, rheumatology, orthopaedics |
various disorders of lumbar vertebrae |
|
quantifies lumbar flexion |
| S |
Shone's complex |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| S |
Siegrist streaks |
August Siegrist |
ophthalmology |
malignant hypertension |
|
hyperpigmented sreaks parallel to choroidal vessels |
| S |
Sims-Huhner test |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| S |
Simmonds' test |
Franklin A. Simmonds |
orthopaedics |
Achilles' tendon rupture |
|
squeezing of calf fails to produce plantarflexion if A. tendon is ruptured |
| S |
Sister Mary Joseph sign (Sister Mary Joseph nodule) |
Sister Mary Joseph Dempsey (born Julia Dempsey) |
oncology |
various abdominal malignancies |
|
palpable lymph node in the umbilicus |
| S |
Spurling's test |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| S |
Stellwag's sign |
Karl Stellwag von Carion |
ophthalmology, endocrinology |
thyrotoxicosis |
|
infrequent and/or incomplete blinking, accompanied by Dalrymple's sign |
| S |
Still's murmur |
? |
paediatric cardiology |
subaortic stenosis, small VSD |
|
systolic ejection sound ;vibratory/musical;best heard at left lower sternal border |
| S |
Stransky's sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| S |
Stroop test |
John R. Stroop |
neuropsychology |
various, including ADHD and schizophrenia |
|
reaction times for incongruent stimuli (e.g., word red printed in blue) |
| S |
Strümpell's sign |
Adolph Strümpell |
neurology |
spastic pareses of the lower extremity |
(needed) |
failure of abrupt passive flexion of the hip and/or knee to elicit dorsiflexion and adduction of foot |
| T |
Terry's nails |
? |
internal medicine |
various including hepatic failure |
|
white 'ground glass' nails;absence of lunula |
| T |
Tinel's sign |
Jules Tinel |
neurology |
neuritis, compression disorders |
|
'DTP' - distal tingling on percussion |
| T |
Todd's paresis |
Robert Bentley Todd |
neurology |
seizure disorders |
|
focal weakness for as much as 48 hours after seizure |
| T |
Traube's sign |
Ludwig Traube |
various |
splenomegaly |
|
dull percussion sound over Traube's space |
| T |
Trendelenburg's sign |
Friedrich Trendelenburg |
neurology,physiatry |
superior gluteal palsy, other causes of hip adductors weakness |
|
pelvic tilt contralateral to 'stance leg' |
| T |
Trousseau's sign of malignancy |
Armand Trousseau |
internal medicine |
various malignancies, including pancreatic |
|
spontaneous thrombosis of multiple veins, including portal circulation |
| T |
Trousseau's sign of latent tetany |
Armand Trousseau |
internal medicine,endocrinology |
hypocalcaemia |
|
in hypocalcaemia, occlusion of brachial artery induces carpal spasm |
| U |
Uhthoff's phenomenon |
Wilhelm Uhthoff |
neurology |
multiple sclerosis |
|
↑ in neurological symptoms w/ exercise |
| U |
Unterberger test |
Siegfried Unterberger |
neurology, ENT |
vestibular lesions |
|
patient walks in place with eyes closed;direction of rotation indicates vestibular lesion on that side |
| V |
Virchow's triad |
Rudolf Virchow |
hematology |
etiology of thrombosis |
|
|
| V |
Von Braun-Fernwalds sign |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| V |
Von Graefe sign |
? |
endocrinology |
goiter |
|
' lid lag'; immobility of upper lid on downward gaze |
| W |
Wada test |
Juhn A. Wada |
neurology |
epilepsy, anatomical lesions of cerebrum |
|
short acting barbiturate injected in internal carotid;lateralizes language function |
| W |
Waddell's signs |
G. Waddell |
primary care, psychiatry |
chronic pain |
|
identify non-organic sources of low back pain |
| W |
Waddell's triad |
? |
paediatric trauma |
pedestrian stuck by motor vehicle |
|
Head trauma, thoracic and/or abdominal trauma, femoral trauma |
|
| W |
Watson's water hammer pulse |
? |
cadiology |
various, including aortic insufficiency |
|
bounding forceful pulse elicitd with postural manoeuvres |
| W |
Whipple's triad |
Allen Whipple |
endocrinology |
hypoglycemia |
|
1.symptoms associated with hypoglycaemia 2. measured low serum glucose 3. relief of symptoms w/ administration of glucose p.o. or iv |
| W |
Wickham's striae |
Louis Frédéric Wickham |
dermatology |
lichen planus |
|
white or greyish lines on the lichen planus lesions |
| W |
Widal test |
Georges-Fernand Widal |
|
salmonella spp. brucella spp. |
|
serum agglutination; obsolete(?) |
| W |
Winterbottom's sign |
? |
tropical medicine |
trypanosomiasis |
|
posterior cervical chain adenopathy |
| W |
Wolff-Parkinson-White triad |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
| W |
Wright's maneuver |
? |
|
|
(needed) |
|
(1) If the palmar arch is not present,radial artery stick for blood gasses is contraindicated.
(2) It is important for the reader to see the article or the external link.
