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 cannot be found in patients with cholelithiasis, because of connection of this disease with chronic inflammation of gallbladder, which results in a shrunken, fibrotic gallbladder.

Couvoisier’s sign can be found in patients with:
 * biliary tumor (cholangiocarcinoma);
 * periampulary carcinoma (adenocarcinoma of Vater papila or duodenum);
 * pancreatic head cancer .;
 * lymph node metastasis in the porta hepatis.

Related articles

 * Obstructive jaundice
 * Cholangiocarcinoma
 * Pancreatic cancer