Many clinical signs have been named for the physicians who first described them, or the phenomena they resemble. Following is a list of 33 of the most common clinical signs for use as a quick reference as you review.
 
Babinski reflex Dorsiflexion of the big toe after stimula­tion of the lateral sole; associated with corticospinal tract le­sions
 

Barlow test Developmental hip dysplasia is present if femoral head moves in and out of the back of the acetabulum while exerting pressure from the front.
 

Blumberg's sign Transient pain in the abdomen after ap­proximated fingers pressed gently into abdominal wall are suddenly withdrawn—rebound tenderness; associated with peritoneal inflammation.
 
Braxton-Hicks contractions Irregular painless uterine contractions.
 
Brudzinski's sign Flexion of the hip and knee induced by flexion of the neck; associated with meningeal irritation.
 

Brushfield's spots Speckling of iris associated with Down syndrome.
 

Chadwick's sign Cyanosis of vaginal and cervical mucosa; associated with pregnancy.
 

Cheyne-Stokes respiration Rhythmic cycles of deep and shallow respiration, often with apneic periods; associated with central nervous system respiratory center dysfunction.
 

Chvostek's sign Facial muscle spasm induced by tapping on the facial nerve branches; associated with hypocalcemia.
 

Coppernail's sign Ecchymoses on the perineum, scrotum, or labia; associated with fracture of the pelvis.
 

Cullen's sign Bluish discoloration of the umbilicus; associ­ated with acute pancreatitis or hemoperitoneum, especially rupture of fallopian tube in ectopic pregnancy.
 
Doll's-eyes sign Dissociation between the movements of the head and eyes: as the head is raised the eyes are lowered, and as the head is lowered the eyes are raised; associated with global-diffuse disorders of the cerebrum.
 

Fluid wave Transmission across the abdomen of a wave in­duced by snapping the abdomen; associated with ascites.
 

Goldstein's sign Wide distance between the great toe and the adjoining toe; associated with cretinism and trisomy 21.
 

Harlequin sign In the newborn infant, reddening of the lower half of the laterally recumbent body and blanching of the upper half, due to a temporary vasomotor disturbance.
 
Hegar's sign Softening of the fundus of the uterus; associ­ated with the  first trimester of pregnancy.
 

Homans' sign Pain behind the knee, induced by dorsiflex­ion of the foot; associated with peripheral vascular disease, especially venous thrombosis in the calf.
 

Kehr's sign Severe pain in the left upper quadrant, radiat­ing to the top of the shoulder; associated with splenic rup­ture.
 

Kernig's sign Inability to extend leg when sitting or lying with the thigh flexed on the abdomen; associated with meningeal irritation.
 

Knie's sign Unequal dilation of the pupils; associated with Graves' disease.
 

Kussmaul's respiration Paroxysmal air hunger; associated with acidosis, especially diabetic ketoacidosis.
 
Lasegue's sign Straight leg raising with hip flexed and knee extended will elicit sciatic pain associated with herni­ated lumbar disk.
 
McBurney's sign Tenderness at McBurney's point (located two-thirds of the distance from the umbilicus to the ante­rior-superior iliac spine); associated with appendicitis.
 

Murphy's sign Pain on taking a deep breath when pressure is applied over location of the gallbladder; a sign of gallblad­der disease.
 

Ortolani's maneuver Manual procedure performed to rule out the possibility of congenital hip dysplasia. A "click" sound sometimes is heard if hip dysplasia is present; on as­sessment, head of femur can be felt (or heard as a click) as it slips forward in the acetabulum and slips back when pressure is released and legs are returned to their original position.
 

Osier's sign Small painful erythematous swellings in the skin of the hands and feet; associated with bacterial endo­carditis.
 

Psoas sign Pain induced by hyperextension of the right thigh while lying on the left side; associated with appen­dicitis.
 

Setting-sun sign Downward deviation of the eyes so that each iris appears to "set" beneath the lower lid, with white sclera exposed between it and the upper lid; associated with increased intracranial pressure or irritation of the brainstem; also seen in hydrocephalus.
 

Simian crease Transverse palmar or plantar crease; associ­ated with Down syndrome.
 

Tinel's sign Tingling sensation felt from light percussion on the radial side of the palmaris longus tendon; associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.
 

Trendelenburg sign When child bears weight on affected hip, pelvis tilts downward on the unaffected side instead of upward, as it should; associated with developmental hip dys­plasia.
 

Trousseau's sign Carpopedal spasm develops when BP cuff is inflated above systolic pressure for 3 minutes; associ­ated with hypocalcemia.
 

Williamson's sign Markedly diminished blood pressure in the leg as compared with that in the arm on the same side; associated with pneumothorax and pleural effusions.