Battle's sign

Battle's sign

Etymology: William H. Battle, English surgeon, 1855-1936

a palpable bogginess of the area behind the ear that may indicate a fracture of a bone of the lower skull.

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Battle's sign [bat´'lz]

a discoloration behind the ear in the line of the posterior auricular artery, often associated with a basilar skull fracture.

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sign (sīn),

n an indication of the existence of something; any objective evidence of a disease.

sign, Battle's,

n.pr the ecchymosis that appears near the mastoid process of the temporal bone; indicative of a fracture of the base of the skull.

sign, Bell's,

n.pr the turning up of the eyeball on the affected side when a patient with Bell's palsy attempts to close the eyelid.

sign, Nikolsky's,

n.pr a diagnostic feature wherein apparently normal epithelium may be rubbed off with finger pressure.

sign, Tinel's,

n.pr a paresthesia in the area served by a sensory nerve when the site of a lesion or injury to the nerve is percussed. Indicative of partial injury of a nerve or regeneration of an injured nerve.