Skip to main content
CSTSetup
Log in
Dictionary

Named signs

Signs and patterns named after the people who described them: Kussmaul, Homans, Chvostek and more.

Allen testA bedside check of blood flow to the hand through the ulnar artery, done by pressing and releasing the wrist arteries.
Allis signWith an infant lying on the back, hips and knees bent and feet flat, one knee sits lower than the other.
Apgar scoreA 0-to-10 rating of a newborn's condition at 1 and 5 minutes after birth, based on five signs.
Argyll Robertson pupilA small, often irregular pupil that narrows when the eyes focus on something near but does not narrow when light shines in it.
Babinski signAn upward movement of the big toe, with the other toes fanning out, when the sole of the foot is stroked.
Barlow maneuverA newborn hip exam in which the examiner brings the bent hip inward and presses gently back to feel whether it slips out of its socket.
barrel chestA rounded chest shape in which the front-to-back depth is about as large as the side-to-side width.
Battle signBruising over the bone just behind the ear.
Beck triadThree findings together: low blood pressure, distended neck veins and muffled heart sounds.
Bell palsySudden weakness or loss of movement on one side of the face, from a problem with the facial nerve.
Biot respirationsA breathing pattern of groups of quick, shallow breaths of similar depth, separated by irregular pauses with no breathing.
Blumberg signAbdominal pain that is worse when pressure is suddenly released than when it is applied.
Braxton Hicks contractionsIrregular tightening of the uterus during pregnancy that does not open the cervix; sometimes called practice contractions.
Brudzinski signA test in which bending a client's neck forward makes the hips and knees bend on their own.
Brushfield spotsSmall white, gray or light-brown spots arranged in a ring near the outer edge of the iris.
bull's-eye rashA round red rash with a lighter center and a red outer ring, so it looks like a target.
butterfly rashA red rash across both cheeks and the bridge of the nose, shaped like a butterfly.
Chadwick signA bluish or purplish color of the cervix, vagina and vulva in early pregnancy.
Charcot triadThree findings together: fever with chills, pain in the upper right abdomen, and jaundice.
Cheyne-Stokes respirationsA breathing pattern in which breaths grow deeper and then shallower in a repeating cycle, with pauses in breathing between cycles.
Chvostek signA twitch of the muscles of the face when the facial nerve, just in front of the ear, is tapped.
coffee-ground emesisVomit that is dark brown and grainy, like used coffee grounds.
Courvoisier signA swollen gallbladder that can be felt through the abdomen but is not tender, in a person with jaundice.
Cullen signBluish or purplish bruising of the skin around the navel.
currant jelly stoolsStool made of dark red blood mixed with mucus, looking like red currant jelly.
Cushing triadA group of three findings: rising systolic blood pressure with a widening pulse pressure, a slowing pulse, and irregular breathing.
Dance signAn empty, hollow feeling in the lower right abdomen when it is pressed.
doll's eyesMovement of the eyes in the opposite direction when the head is turned, so the eyes seem to stay looking straight ahead.
Doppler ultrasoundAn ultrasound that uses sound waves to hear or show blood flowing through vessels or the fetal heartbeat.
Epstein pearlsSmall white or yellow bumps on a newborn's gums or the roof of the mouth.
Erb palsyWeakness or paralysis of one arm from stretching of the upper nerves of the brachial plexus, the nerve bundle between the neck and shoulder, usually at birth.
Goodell signSoftening of the cervix felt in early pregnancy.
Gowers signA way of rising from the floor in which a child pushes on the thighs with the hands, "walking" the hands up the legs to stand.
Gram stainA lab staining method that sorts bacteria into two groups by the color they turn under the microscope.
Grey Turner signBluish or purplish bruising of the skin of the flanks, the sides of the body between the ribs and the hips.
halo signA ring of clear or pale yellow fluid around a central spot of blood when drainage dries on gauze or a sheet.
Hamman signA crunching or crackling sound heard over the heart in time with the heartbeat.
Hegar signSoftening of the lower part of the uterus, felt by the examiner in early pregnancy.
Heimlich maneuverQuick, upward thrusts into the upper abdomen to push out an object that is blocking a choking person's airway.
Homans signPain in the calf when the foot is bent sharply upward with the knee straight.
Huntington diseaseAn inherited brain disease in which certain nerve cells slowly break down over many years.
Hutchinson teethSmall, widely spaced upper front teeth that are narrow at the biting edge, with a notch in the middle.
Janeway lesionsSmall, flat, painless red or reddish-brown spots on the palms or the soles.
Kehr signPain at the tip of the left shoulder that is referred there from the abdomen.
Kerley B linesShort, thin horizontal lines near the outer edges of the lower lungs on a chest x-ray.
Kernig signPain or resistance in the back of the thigh when the knee is straightened while the hip is bent at a right angle.
Koplik spotsTiny white or bluish-white spots on a red base on the inside of the cheeks.
Korotkoff soundsThe tapping sounds heard through a stethoscope over an artery as a blood pressure cuff is let down.
Kussmaul respirationsA breathing pattern of deep, rapid, labored breaths at an even pace.
Leopold maneuversFour steps of feeling the pregnant abdomen with the hands to find how the fetus is lying in the uterus.