Trousseau's sign

Introduction

In latent tetany, the occurrence of carpal spasm or accoucher's hand, elicited when the upper arm is compressed, as by a blood pressure cuff commonly to 20 mmHg over systolic blood pressure for 3 minutes.

Etiology

• hypocalcemia
• hypomagnesemia

Pathology

• carpal spasm results from ischemia induced by compression from the inflated cuff

Clinical manifestations

• carpal spasm manifests as flexion of the wrist, thumb, & MCP joints with hyperextension of the interphalangeal joints

More general terms

• sign/symptom

Additional terms

• Trousseau's syndrome; Trousseau's sign of malignancy; thrombophlebitis migrans