In
radiology, the thumbprint sign, or thumbprinting, is a
radiologic sign found on a radiograph that suggests the diagnosis of either
epiglottitis or intestinal ischemia.
In a
lateral C-spine radiograph, the sign is caused by a thickened free edge of the
epiglottis, which causes it to appear more
radiopaque than normal, resembling the distal
thumb
The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...
.
In an abdominal
radiography, thumbprinting has an appearance of thumbs protruding into the
intestinal lumen, and is caused by thickened
edema
Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's Tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels t ...
tous
mucosal folds.
[Page 111 in:] Abdominal thumbprinting is a
non-specific finding, though one potential cause is
intestinal ischemia.
References
External links
Thumbprint sign on plain film
Radiologic signs
Respiratory system imaging
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