Rovsing's sign is positive when palpation of the left lower quadrant increases pain in which quadrant?

Rovsing's sign is positive when palpation of the left lower quadrant increases pain in which quadrant?

• A. Palpation of the left lower quadrant increases pain in the right lower quadrant
• B. Palpation of the right lower quadrant increases pain in the left lower quadrant
• C. Palpation of the epigastric region
• D. Palpation of the back

Answer: (A)

Rovsing's sign is a clinical cue for acute appendicitis. It is positive when palpation of the left lower quadrant increases pain in the right lower quadrant. The idea is that pressing on the LLQ irritates the peritoneum in the area where the appendix sits in the RLQ; this irritation is referred to or felt more intensely in the RLQ, where the inflamed appendix is located. That simple cross-quadrant pain response is what makes this sign useful. The other scenarios don’t fit Rovsing’s sign: pressing in the RLQ causing pain in the LLQ isn’t the sign being described, and palpating the epigastric region or the back would point to different conditions or signs.

Rovsing's sign is a clinical cue for acute appendicitis. It is positive when palpation of the left lower quadrant increases pain in the right lower quadrant. The idea is that pressing on the LLQ irritates the peritoneum in the area where the appendix sits in the RLQ; this irritation is referred to or felt more intensely in the RLQ, where the inflamed appendix is located. That simple cross-quadrant pain response is what makes this sign useful.

The other scenarios don’t fit Rovsing’s sign: pressing in the RLQ causing pain in the LLQ isn’t the sign being described, and palpating the epigastric region or the back would point to different conditions or signs.