Courvoisier’s Sign

Couvoisier’s sign (or law) describes enlarged palpable gallbladder in patients with obstructive jaundice caused by tumors of biliary tree or pancreatic head tumors. This kind of biliary obstruction envolves slowly (not quick as obstruction by stones), then envolves dilated gallbladder with thin wall.

Couvoisier’s sign can not be in patients with cholecystolithiasis, because of connection of this disease with chronical inflammation of gallbladder. It causes fibroproduction in the wall of galbladder. Then the wall is stronger and can not be dilated and enlarged.^[1]

Couvoisier’s sign can be found in patients with:

• biliary tumor (cholangiocarcinoma);
• periampulary carcinoma (adenocarcinoma of Vater papila or duodenum);
• pancreatic head cancer^[2].;
• lymph node metastasis in the porta hepatis^[1].

edit Links

edit Related articles

• Obstructive jaundice
• Cholangiocarcinoma
• Pancreatic cancer

edit References

1. ↑ ^{a b} BURKITT, H. George – QUICK, Clive R. G. Essential surgery :  problems, diagnosis and management. 4. edition. Edinburgh ; New York : Churchill Livingstone, 2007. 793 pp. pp. 387,. ISBN 9780443103469.
2. ↑ KASPER, Dennis L – FAUCI, Anthony S – LONGO, Dan L, et al. Harrison's principles of Internal Medicine. 16th edition. New York : McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc, 2005. 2607 pp. pp. 537. ISBN 0-07-139140-1.