In medicine, Piskaçek's sign is a physical indication of pregnancy.
It is defined as asymmetry of the enlarged uterus, palpable during pelvic examination, after the first few weeks of pregnancy. It is attributed to lateral implantation of the embryo, which can enlarge one uterine horn before the other. It has also been described as focal softening of the uterus, contrasted to the firmness of the area where the placenta is implanted.
It is named after obstetrician Ludwig Piskaçek, who described it in Vienna in 1899, though it had already been noted by Robert Latou Dickinson of New York in 1892. A similar physical sign had been described by Carl von Fernwald Braun. It comes from an era when laboratory tests for pregnancy had not been developed, but experience gained in pelvic examination during early pregnancy by western gynecologists led them to publish their physical findings, allowing clinical diagnosis of pregnancy. Other such signs of early pregnancy include Goodell, Hegar, Hartman and Chadwick signs.
References
- Arulkumaran, S; Regan, L; et al., eds. (2011). Oxford Desk Reference: Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 50. doi:10.1093/med/9780199552214.001.0001. ISBN 9780191725777. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ Baskett, TF (2019). Eponyms and Names in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Cambridge University Press. p. 327. ISBN 9781108386197. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ Munsick, RA (August 1985). "Dickinson's sign: focal uterine softening in early pregnancy and its correlation with the placental site". Am J Obstet Gynecol. 152 (7 Pt 1): 799–802. doi:10.1016/s0002-9378(85)80066-1. PMID 4025433. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
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