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Ballance's sign
System: Abdominal & Digestive Signs · All abdominal & digestive signs
What it is — and how it is elicited
Dullness to percussion in the left flank that stays fixed when the patient is rolled onto the right side, unlike the shifting dullness of free fluid.
What a positive finding suggests
Associated with a ruptured spleen with clotted blood around it.
◈ Behind the name
Sir Charles Alfred Ballance (1856–1936), British surgeon.
Related signs — Abdominal & Digestive Signs
Browse the B section of the A–Z list or return to the Clinical Signs hub.
Please note: This page is an educational reference about clinical examination signs. A clinical sign supports — and never replaces — a full clinical evaluation, examination and appropriate testing. A sign being present does not by itself prove a diagnosis, and an absent sign does not rule one out. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a health professional.