Homans sign
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In medicine, Homans' sign is a sign of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). A positive sign is present when there is pain in the calf or popliteal region with examiner's abrupt dorsiflexion of the patient's foot at the ankle while the knee is flexed to 90 degrees[1][2] This sign is frequently elicited in clinical practice because of the ease of use, although it is falling into disfavor because of poor reliability and because it is frequently positive in individuals without DVT. A positive Homans' sign does not positively diagnose DVT (poor positive predictive value), and a negative Homans' sign does not rule out the DVT diagnosis (poor negative predictive value). It is named for the American physician John Homans.[3] In fact, studies show both it's specificity and sensitivity to be about 50%. Essentially, one might as well flip a coin to diagnose the presence of a DVT.
[edit] References
- ^ Mathewson M. A Homans’ sign is an effective method of diagnosing thrombophlebitis in bedridden patients. Crit Care Nurse 1983;3:64–5.
- ^ Shafer N, Duboff S. Physical signs in the early diagnosis of thrombophlebitis. Angiology 1980;22:18–30.
- ^ synd/2371 at Who Named It?
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