Study for the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) I. Engage with flashcards and multiple-choice questions with detailed feedback. Prepare confidently!

Multiple Choice

Grey Turner sign and Cullen's sign are classic signs of which condition?

These signs reflect retroperitoneal or intraperitoneal bleeding, most classically from severe acute pancreatitis. Grey Turner sign is flank ecchymosis, while Cullen's sign is periumbilical ecchymosis. In severe pancreatitis, pancreatic enzymes and inflammatory processes damage vessels and cause fat necrosis, allowing blood to track from the retroperitoneum to the skin over the flanks or around the navel. They tend to appear later in the course and signal more extensive disease and worse prognosis. The other conditions listed do not typically produce this pattern of bruising, so this combination of signs points toward acute pancreatitis rather than the others.

These signs reflect retroperitoneal or intraperitoneal bleeding, most classically from severe acute pancreatitis. Grey Turner sign is flank ecchymosis, while Cullen's sign is periumbilical ecchymosis. In severe pancreatitis, pancreatic enzymes and inflammatory processes damage vessels and cause fat necrosis, allowing blood to track from the retroperitoneum to the skin over the flanks or around the navel. They tend to appear later in the course and signal more extensive disease and worse prognosis. The other conditions listed do not typically produce this pattern of bruising, so this combination of signs points toward acute pancreatitis rather than the others.