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Courvoisier's gallbladder
System: Abdominal & Digestive Signs · All abdominal & digestive signs
What it is — and how it is elicited
A gallbladder that can be felt as a smooth, non-tender swelling below the right rib cage in a patient with painless jaundice — Courvoisier's law holds that this is unlikely to be due to gallstones.
What a positive finding suggests
Associated with obstruction of the bile duct by a tumour, classically of the pancreatic head, rather than by stones.
◈ Behind the name
Ludwig Georg Courvoisier (1843–1918), Swiss surgeon.
Related signs — Abdominal & Digestive Signs
Browse the C 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.