Archibald's sign (also known as Archibald's metacarpal sign) refers to a feature in the hand characterized by a shortening of the fourth or/and fifth metacarpals when the fist is clenched.

Causes

The causes of Archibald's sign are not known; however, it has been discovered that it occurs more often in populations with certain disorders. Archibald's sign appears to be more common in individuals who have Turners syndrome. It also seems to be more commonly found in

pseudohypoparathyroidism Pseudohypoparathyroidism is a condition associated primarily with resistance to the parathyroid hormone. Those with the condition have a low serum calcium and high phosphate, but the parathyroid hormone level (PTH) is appropriately high (due to th ...

of Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy,

brachydactyly Brachydactyly (Greek βραχύς = "short" plus δάκτυλος = "finger"), is a medical term which literally means "short finger". The shortness is relative to the length of other long bones and other parts of the body. Brachydactyly is an in ...

acrodysostosis Acrodysostosis is a rare congenital malformation syndrome which involves shortening of the interphalangeal joints of the hands and feet, intellectual disability in approximately 90% of affected children, and peculiar facies. Other common abnor ...

, and occasionally with

homocystinuria Homocystinuria or HCU is an inherited disorder of the metabolism of the amino acid methionine due to a deficiency of cystathionine beta synthase or methionine synthase. It is an inherited autosomal recessive trait, which means a child needs to inh ...

References

External links

Archibald's metacarpal sign
* An image of an individual with Archibald's sign is shown on the left hand in photo b i
this picture
Congenital disorders {{med-sign-stub

Causes

See also

References

External links