Cullen's sign

Cullen's sign
Cullen's sign
Classification and external resources
DiseasesDB	17313
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Cullen's sign is superficial oedema and bruising in the subcutaneous fatty tissue around the umbilicus.

It is named for Thomas Stephen Cullen (1869–1953),gynecologist who first described the sign in ruptured ectopic pregnancy in 1916.

This sign takes 24–48 hours to appear and can predict acute pancreatitis, with mortality rising from 8–10% to 40%. It may be accompanied by Grey Turner's sign (bruising of the flank), which may then be indicative of pancreatic necrosis with retroperitoneal or intraabdominal bleeding.

Causes include:

Importance of the sign is on a decline since better diagnostic modalities are now available.

Parikh RP, Upadhyay KJ. Cullen's sign for acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis. Indian J Med Res [serial online] 2013 [cited 2013 Jul 4];137:1210 http://www.ijmr.org.in/text.asp?2013/137/6/1210/114397

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