In medicine, Piskaçek's sign is a physical indication of pregnancy. It is defined as asymmetry of the enlarged uterus, palpable during

pelvic examination A pelvic examination is the physical examination of the external and internal female pelvic organs. It is frequently used in gynecology for the evaluation of symptoms affecting the female reproductive and urinary tract, such as pain, bleeding, dis ...

, after the first few weeks of pregnancy. It is attributed to lateral implantation of the

embryo An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male spe ...

, which can enlarge one uterine horn before the other. It has also been described as focal softening of the uterus, contrasted to the firmness of the area where the placenta is implanted. It is named after obstetrician Ludwig Piskaçek, who described it in Vienna in 1899, though it had already been noted by

Robert Latou Dickinson Robert Latou Dickinson (1861–1950) was an American obstetrician and gynecologist, surgeon, maternal health educator, artist, sculptor and medical illustrator, and research scientist. Early life Robert Latou Dickinson was born on February 21, 1 ...

of New York in 1892. A similar physical sign had been described by Carl von Fernwald Braun. It comes from an era when laboratory tests for pregnancy had not been developed, but experience gained in pelvic examination during early pregnancy by western gynecologists led them to publish their physical findings, allowing clinical diagnosis of pregnancy. Other such signs of early pregnancy include Goodell, Hegar,

Hartman __NOTOC__ Hartman is surname of German language, German origin. Notable people with the surname include: A *Angélica María, Angélica María Hartman (born 1944), American-born Mexican actress and singer *Anton Hartman (1918–1982), South Afri ...

and

Chadwick sign Chadwick sign is a bluish discoloration of the cervix, vagina, and labia resulting from increased blood flow. It can be observed as early as 6 to 8 weeks after conception, and its presence is an early sign of pregnancy. These colour changes were d ...

References

Medical signs Obstetrics Midwifery {{human-repro-stub