Which sign is defined as bluish discoloration around the umbilicus due to intraperitoneal bleeding?

Which sign is defined as bluish discoloration around the umbilicus due to intraperitoneal bleeding?

• A. Cullen's sign
• B. Grey Turner's sign
• C. Murphy's sign
• D. Kehr's sign

Answer: (A)

Cullen's sign is the bluish discoloration around the umbilicus that comes from intraperitoneal bleeding. Blood in the peritoneal cavity can track to the subcutaneous tissues around the navel via the ligaments and tissue planes, producing this periumbilical ecchymosis. It’s classically seen in conditions like acute pancreatitis or ruptured ectopic pregnancy, but it signals that bleeding has reached the abdomen. It’s a late sign and not always present early, so not seeing it doesn’t rule out abdominal bleeding. By comparison, Grey Turner's sign is flank bruising from retroperitoneal bleeding, Murphy's sign is pain and guarding in the right upper quadrant with inspiration indicating cholecystitis, and Kehr's sign is referred pain to the left shoulder from diaphragmatic irritation due to intraperitoneal blood.

Cullen's sign is the bluish discoloration around the umbilicus that comes from intraperitoneal bleeding. Blood in the peritoneal cavity can track to the subcutaneous tissues around the navel via the ligaments and tissue planes, producing this periumbilical ecchymosis. It’s classically seen in conditions like acute pancreatitis or ruptured ectopic pregnancy, but it signals that bleeding has reached the abdomen. It’s a late sign and not always present early, so not seeing it doesn’t rule out abdominal bleeding. By comparison, Grey Turner's sign is flank bruising from retroperitoneal bleeding, Murphy's sign is pain and guarding in the right upper quadrant with inspiration indicating cholecystitis, and Kehr's sign is referred pain to the left shoulder from diaphragmatic irritation due to intraperitoneal blood.