It's not the law
1 Citations•2004•
Henry Schneiderman
Canadian Medical Association Journal
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Abstract
Malvinder Parmar's Clinical Vistas article1 illustrates a Courvoisier gallbladder handsomely. Parmar aptly and carefully notes the occurrence of exceptions, whereby nothing more ominous than cholelithiasis and chronic cholecystitis underlie painless jaundice with a palpable gallbladder. Thus, for clarity, we should stop calling the sign of Courvoisier a “law,” which by definition must apply to all. This point is made in a wonderful short review of the phenomenon, and of Courvoisier's important place in the history of medicine, which was published 17 years ago by Verghese and associates.2