Grey Turner's sign refers to

bruising A bruise, also known as a contusion, is a type of hematoma of tissue, the most common cause being capillaries damaged by trauma, causing localized bleeding that extravasates into the surrounding interstitial tissues. Most bruises occur clo ...

of the

flank Flank may refer to: * Flank (anatomy), part of the abdomen ** Flank steak, a cut of beef ** Part of the external anatomy of a horse * Flank speed, a nautical term * Flank opening, a chess opening * A term in Australian rules football * The ...

s, the part of the body between the last rib and the top of the hip. The bruising appears as a blue discoloration, and is a sign of

retroperitoneal hemorrhage Retroperitoneal bleeding is an accumulation of blood in the retroperitoneal space. Signs and Symptom, symptoms may include abdominal or upper leg pain, hematuria, and Shock (circulatory), shock. It can be caused by major trauma or by non-traumatic ...

, or bleeding behind the peritoneum, which is a lining of the abdominal cavity. Grey Turner's sign takes 24–48 hours to develop, and can predict a severe attack of

acute pancreatitis Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Causes include a gallstone impacted in the common bile duct or the pancreatic duct, heavy alcohol use, systemic disease, trauma, elevated calcium levels, hypertriglyceridemia (w ...

. Grey Turner's sign may be accompanied by

Cullen's sign Cullen's sign, also known as umbilical black eye, is superficial edema and bruising in the subcutaneous fatty tissue around the umbilicus. It is named for gynecologist Thomas Stephen Cullen (1869–1953), who first described the sign in ruptured ...

. Both signs may be indicative of pancreatic necrosis with retroperitoneal or intra-abdominal bleeding. Grey Turner's sign is named after British

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

George Grey Turner.

Causes

Causes include *

Acute pancreatitis Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Causes include a gallstone impacted in the common bile duct or the pancreatic duct, heavy alcohol use, systemic disease, trauma, elevated calcium levels, hypertriglyceridemia (w ...

, whereby

methemalbumin Methemalbumin (MHA) is an albumin complex consisting of albumin and heme. This complex gives brown color to plasma and occurs in hemolytic and hemorrhagic disorders. Its presence in plasma is used to differentiate between hemorrhagic and edemato ...

formed from digested blood tracks subcutaneously around the abdomen from the inflamed pancreas. * Pancreatic hemorrhage * Retroperitoneal hemorrhage * Blunt abdominal trauma * Ruptured / hemorrhagic

ectopic pregnancy Ectopic pregnancy is a complication of pregnancy in which the embryo attaches outside the uterus. Signs and symptoms classically include abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, but fewer than 50 percent of affected women have both of these sympto ...

. * Spontaneous bleeding secondary to coagulopathy (congenital or acquired) *

Aortic rupture Aortic rupture is the breakage of all walls of the aorta, the largest artery in the body. Aortic rupture is a rare, extremely dangerous condition that is considered a medical emergency. The most common cause is an abdominal aortic aneurysm that ...

, from ruptured

abdominal aortic aneurysm Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a localized enlargement of the abdominal aorta such that the diameter is greater than 3 cm or more than 50% larger than normal. An AAA usually causes no symptoms, except during rupture. Occasionally, abdo ...

or other causes.

History

It is named after British

George Grey Turner.

References

External links

{{General injuries Diagnostic surgery Medical signs