Grey-Turner’s Sign and Cullen’s Sign Mnemonic

Grey-Turner’s sign and Cullen’s sign can be easily confused with one another, because they are both characterized by the same physical findings in different locations. Grey-Turner’s sign is located on the flanks, whereas Cullen’s sign is located around the umbilicus (periumbilical).

These signs can be seen when bleeding occurs inside the abdomen or in the retroperitoneal location. This is most commonly thought to be due to necrotizing pancreatitis, but it can also happen in other conditions such as an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

The mnemonic for remembering how to distinguish between these signs is:

Grey-TURNer’s sign is located when you TURN towards your flank

CUllen’s sign is located around the Umbilicus

Sources:

Goljan, Edward F. "Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Disorders." Rapid Review Pathology. Ed. Edward F. Goljan. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby/Elsevier, 2011. 386. Print.

Kendall, JL and ME Moreira. Evaluation of the adult with abdominal pain in the emergency department. In: UpToDate, Basow, DS (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA, 2012.