Ludwig Georg Courvoisier
Encyclopedia
Ludwig Georg Courvoisier (1843–1918) was a surgeon from Basel, Switzerland. He was one of the first doctors to remove gallstone
s from the common bile duct
.
In 1890, Courvoisier published the book Casuistisch-statistische Beiträge zur Pathologie und Chirurgie der Gallenwege, a manual on biliary surgery in which he introduced the medical sign
known as Courvoisier's law
.
Gallstone
A gallstone is a crystalline concretion formed within the gallbladder by accretion of bile components. These calculi are formed in the gallbladder, but may pass distally into other parts of the biliary tract such as the cystic duct, common bile duct, pancreatic duct, or the ampulla of...
s from the common bile duct
Common bile duct
The common bile duct is a tube-like anatomic structure in the human gastrointestinal tract. It is formed by the union of the common hepatic duct and the cystic duct . It is later joined by the pancreatic duct to form the ampulla of Vater...
.
In 1890, Courvoisier published the book Casuistisch-statistische Beiträge zur Pathologie und Chirurgie der Gallenwege, a manual on biliary surgery in which he introduced the medical sign
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....
known as Courvoisier's law
Courvoisier's law
Courvoisier's law states that in the presence of an enlarged gallbladder which is nontender and accompanied with mild jaundice, the cause is unlikely to be gallstones. Usually, the term is used to describe the physical examination finding of the right-upper quadrant of the abdomen...
.
External links
- Full text of Courvoisier's Casuistisch-statistische Beiträge zur Pathologie und Chirurgie der Gallenwege at Google Books.