Kanavel's sign is a clinical sign found in patients with infection of a flexor tendon sheath in the hand (flexor tenosynovitis), a serious condition which can cause rapid loss of function of the affected finger.
The sign consists of four components:
- the affected finger is held in slight flexion.
- there is uniform swelling over the affected tendon.
- there is tenderness over the affected tendon.
- there is pain on passive extension of the affected finger.
The sign is named after Allen B. Kanavel.
References
Kanavel's cardinal signs Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA