Kanavel's sign
Encyclopedia
Kanavel's sign is a clinical sign
found in patients with infection of a flexor tendon sheath
in the hand
, a serious condition which can cause rapid loss of function of the affected finger.
The sign consists of four components:
The sign is named after Allen B. Kanavel
.
Medical sign
A medical sign is an objective indication of some medical fact or characteristic that may be detected by a physician during a physical examination of a patient....
found in patients with infection of a flexor tendon sheath
Tendon sheath
A tendon sheath is a layer of membrane around a tendon. It permits the tendon to move.It has two layers:* synovial sheath* fibrous tendon sheathFibroma of the tendon sheath has been described....
in the hand
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
, a serious condition which can cause rapid loss of function of the affected finger.
The sign consists of four components:
- the affected finger is held in slight flexionFlexionIn anatomy, flexion is a position that is made possible by the joint angle decreasing. The skeletal and muscular systems work together to move the joint into a "flexed" position. For example the elbow is flexed when the hand is brought closer to the shoulder...
. - there is fusiform swellingSwelling (medical)In medical parlance, swelling is the transient enlargement or protuberance in the body and may include tumors. According to cause, it may be congenital, traumatic, inflammatory, neoplastic or miscellaneous....
over the affected tendonTendonA tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...
. - there is tendernessTenderness (medicine)In medicine, tenderness is pain or discomfort when an affected area is touched.Rebound tenderness is an indication of peritonitis....
over the affected tendon. - there is pain on passive extensionExtension (kinesiology)In kinesiology, extension is a movement of a joint that results in increased angle between two bones or body surfaces at a joint. Extension usually results in straightening of the bones or body surfaces involved. For example, extension is produced by extending the flexed elbow. Straightening of...
of the affected finger.
The sign is named after Allen B. Kanavel
Allen B. Kanavel
Allen B. Kanavel was an American surgeon remembered for describing Kanavel's sign. He graduated from the Northwestern University School of Medicine in 1899. He spent six months in Vienna, then spent his career at Cook County Hospital and the department of surgery at Northwestern University School...
.