Boas' sign
Encyclopedia
Boas' or Boas's sign is hyperaesthesia (increased or altered sensitivity) below the right scapula can be a symptom in acute cholecystitis
(inflammation of the gallbladder
) It is one of many symptoms a medical provider may look for during an abdominal examination
It is less than 7% sensitive. Its namesake is Ismar Isidor Boas
(1858-1938), German physician and first licensed GI specialist in his country.
Boas' sign can also indicate stomach and duodenal disease. When the transverse processes of thoracic vertebrae T10-T12 are pressed or effleurage
d with the bottom of the hand, pain can appear at left of spinous processes (in stomach
's lesser curvature ulcer
) or at right (in pyloric or duodenal ulcer
).
Cholecystitis
-Signs and symptoms:Cholecystitis usually presents as a pain in the right upper quadrant. This is known as biliary colic. This is initially intermittent, but later usually presents as a constant, severe pain. During the initial stages, the pain may be felt in an area totally separate from the site...
(inflammation of the gallbladder
Gallbladder
In vertebrates the gallbladder is a small organ that aids mainly in fat digestion and concentrates bile produced by the liver. In humans the loss of the gallbladder is usually easily tolerated....
) It is one of many symptoms a medical provider may look for during an abdominal examination
Abdominal examination
The abdominal exam, in medicine, is performed as part of a physical examination, or when a patient presents with abdominal pain or a history that suggests an abdominal pathology.The exam includes several parts:* Setting and preparation...
It is less than 7% sensitive. Its namesake is Ismar Isidor Boas
Ismar Isidor Boas
Ismar Isidor Boas was a German gastroenterologist who was born in the town of Exin. He studied medicine in Berlin, Halle and Leipzig, and subsequently became an assistant to Carl Anton Ewald at the Augusta Hospital in Berlin...
(1858-1938), German physician and first licensed GI specialist in his country.
Boas' sign can also indicate stomach and duodenal disease. When the transverse processes of thoracic vertebrae T10-T12 are pressed or effleurage
Effleurage
Effleurage, a French word meaning "to skim" or "to touch lightly on", is a series of massage strokes used in Swedish massage to warm up the muscle before deep tissue work using petrissage....
d with the bottom of the hand, pain can appear at left of spinous processes (in stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
's lesser curvature ulcer
Ulcer
An ulcer is a sore on the skin or a mucous membrane, accompanied by the disintegration of tissue. Ulcers can result in complete loss of the epidermis and often portions of the dermis and even subcutaneous fat. Ulcers are most common on the skin of the lower extremities and in the gastrointestinal...
) or at right (in pyloric or duodenal ulcer
Ulcer
An ulcer is a sore on the skin or a mucous membrane, accompanied by the disintegration of tissue. Ulcers can result in complete loss of the epidermis and often portions of the dermis and even subcutaneous fat. Ulcers are most common on the skin of the lower extremities and in the gastrointestinal...
).