Rovsing's sign is used in the assessment of which condition?

• A. Acute appendicitis
• B. Cholecystitis
• C. Pancreatitis
• D. Diverticulitis

Answer: (A)

Rovsing's sign is a test for acute appendicitis. During the exam, pressing in the left lower quadrant increases peritoneal irritation, and if the patient experiences pain in the right lower quadrant (often with rebound tenderness) when pressure is applied or released, the sign is considered positive. This happens because irritating the peritoneum on the left can provoke referred pain from an inflamed appendix on the right as gas or stool movement compresses the inflamed area.

This sign supports suspicion of appendiceal inflammation, rather than conditions like cholecystitis, pancreatitis, or diverticulitis, which present with different patterns of pain and specific signs (for example, cholecystitis often has right upper quadrant pain and Murphy’s sign; pancreatitis tends to cause diffuse epigastric pain; diverticulitis typically causes localized LLQ pain without the classic referred RLQ response).