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Pemberton's sign
System: Hormone & Metabolic Signs · All hormone & metabolic signs
What it is — and how it is elicited
Raising both arms overhead for a minute or so makes the face become flushed, dusky and engorged, sometimes with breathlessness and prominent neck veins.
What a positive finding suggests
Associated with a large goitre or mass extending behind the sternum, compressing the veins at the thoracic inlet.
◈ Behind the name
Hugh Spear Pemberton (1890–1956), British physician.
Related signs — Hormone & Metabolic Signs
Browse the P 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.