Miscellaneous Physical Signs and Medical Eponyms

Described in this section are three signs that may be found on the cardiovascular examination in patients with tuberculosis, malignancy, and in relation to anatomical changes in the right atrium. Of these signs, only the Chiari network has been the most thoroughly studied. In fact, we are unaware of any studies which evaluated the utility of Grossman or Gordon signs, which used percussion of the chest wall to detect heart size in the assessment of patients with tuberculosis or malignancy. We believe that these signs are useful to learn as they provide keen insights into how physicians identified and proposed disease pathogenesis based on key clinical findings.