Appendicitis physical examination
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Appendicitis |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Vital Signs
Temperature
- A fever may be present
Abdomen
- Abdominal wall very sensitive to palpitations
- Rebound tenderness
- Abdominal guarding
- Rovsing's sign
- Deep palpation of the left iliac fossa may cause pain in the right iliac fossa
- Psoas sign
- Occasionally, an inflamed appendix lies on the psoas muscle and the patient will lie with the right hip flexed for pain relief.
- Obturator sign
- If an inflamed appendix is in contact with the obturator internus, spasm of the muscle can be demonstrated by flexing and internally rotating the hip.
- This maneuver will cause pain in the hypogastrium