The Crowe sign or Crowe's sign is the presence of

axilla The axilla (also, armpit, underarm or oxter) is the area on the human body directly under the shoulder joint. It includes the axillary space, an anatomical space within the shoulder girdle between the arm and the thoracic cage, bounded superior ...

ry (armpit)

freckling Freckles are clusters of concentrated melaninized cells which are most easily visible on people with a fair complexion. Freckles do not have an increased number of the melanin-producing cells, or melanocytes, but instead have melanocytes that ...

in people with neurofibromatosis type I (von Recklinghausen's disease). These freckles occur in up to 30% of people with the disease and their presence is one of six diagnostic criteria for neurofibromatosis. Freckles can also be present in the

intertriginous In medicine, an intertriginous area is where two skin areas may touch or rub together. Examples of intertriginous areas are the axilla of the arm, the anogenital region, skin folds of the breasts and between digits. Intertriginous areas are known t ...

area in neurofibromatosis, such as the inguinal fold, submamillary areas, and nape of the neck. This medical sign is named after Frank W. Crowe (July 2, 1919 – April 29, 1987), an American physician who practiced dermatology in Boise, Idaho. In 1956 Crowe et al. recognised the autosomal dominant heredity of neurofibromatosis and the use of 6 or more

café au lait spot ''Café au lait'' spots, or ''café au lait'' macules, are flat, hyperpigmented birthmarks. The name ''café au lait'' is French for "coffee with milk" and refers to their light-brown color. Café au lait lesions with rough borders (" coast of Mai ...

s to diagnose the condition. In 1964 Crowe published work on the use of axillary freckling in its diagnosis, which is now referred to as the Crowe sign. He noticed that axillary freckles are present in about 20-30% of patients with neurofibromatosis, but he did not see any in patients who did not have neurofibromatosis. Axillary freckling also occurs in other disease processes that closely resemble NF1, such as Legius syndrome (cafe-au-lait spots, axillary freckling, and macrocephaly without Lisch nodules, neurofibromas or CNS tumors), and, homozygous HNPCC mutations (cafe-au-lait spots, axillary freckling, and cutaneous neurofibromas in the setting of Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colon Cancer, also known as Lynch syndrome; seen with family history of HNPCC and consanguinity).K Jett, JM Friedman. Clinical and Genetic Aspects of Neurofibromatosis 1. Genetics in Medicine 12(1):1-11. January 2010.

References

Crowe's sign in gpnotebook.co.uk
Dermatologic signs {{dermatology-stub