Blue scrotum sign of Bryant

Blue scrotum sign of Bryant
Blue scrotum sign of Bryant
Symptoms	Bruising of the scrotum
Causes	Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm
Named after	John Henry Bryant

The blue scrotum sign of Bryant, also known as Bryant's blue sign, is bruising of the scrotum, typically associated with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).^[1] It generally appears three or four days after first experiencing pain, though may occur hours after and sometimes weeks after the rupture.^[1]

The sign is named after British physician John Henry Bryant, who first described it in 1903.^[2]

Definition

Blue scrotum sign of Bryant is a medical sign associated with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) that is leaking relatively slowly.^[1]

Signs and symptoms

Bruising of one side or both sides of the scrotum may be seen three or four days after leakage of the aneurysm.^[1]

Cause and mechanism

Rupture of the aneurysm causes blood to accumulate in the retroperitoneal space and extravasate into the scrotal tissue via the inguinal canal and spermatic cord.^[1]

Epidemiology

The sign is uncommon.^[3]

History

The sign was first described in 1903 by John Henry Bryant (1867–1906) in autopsies conducted on people who died from ruptured AAA.^[2]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Epperla, Narendranath; Mazza, Joseph J.; Yale, Steven H. (April 2015). "A Review of Clinical Signs Related to Ecchymosis". WMJ. 114 (2): 61–65. ISSN 1098-1861. PMID 26756058.
^ ^a ^b Yale, Steven H.; Tekiner, Halil; Mazza, Joseph J.; Yale, Eileen S.; Yale, Ryan C. (2021). "1. Aneurysm". Cardiovascular Eponymic Signs: Diagnostic Skills Applied During the Physical Examination. Springer Nature. p. 29. ISBN 978-3-030-67596-7.
^ Dargin, James M.; Lowenstein, Robert A. (March 2011). "Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm presenting as painless testicular ecchymosis: the scrotal sign of Bryant revisited". The Journal of Emergency Medicine. 40 (3): e45–48. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2007.11.066. ISSN 0736-4679. PMID 18614326.
^ White, Fred Ashley (2009). Physical Signs in Medicine and Surgery: An Atlas of Rare, Lost and Forgotten Physical Signs : Includes a Collection of Extraordinary Papers in Medicine, Surgery and the Scientific Method. Museum Press Books. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4415-0829-4.

[Epperla2015-1] Epperla, Narendranath; Mazza, Joseph J.; Yale, Steven H. (April 2015). "A Review of Clinical Signs Related to Ecchymosis". WMJ. 114 (2): 61–65. ISSN 1098-1861. PMID 26756058.

[Yale2021-2] Yale, Steven H.; Tekiner, Halil; Mazza, Joseph J.; Yale, Eileen S.; Yale, Ryan C. (2021). "1. Aneurysm". Cardiovascular Eponymic Signs: Diagnostic Skills Applied During the Physical Examination. Springer Nature. p. 29. ISBN 978-3-030-67596-7.

[3] Dargin, James M.; Lowenstein, Robert A. (March 2011). "Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm presenting as painless testicular ecchymosis: the scrotal sign of Bryant revisited". The Journal of Emergency Medicine. 40 (3): e45–48. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2007.11.066. ISSN 0736-4679. PMID 18614326.

[4] White, Fred Ashley (2009). Physical Signs in Medicine and Surgery: An Atlas of Rare, Lost and Forgotten Physical Signs : Includes a Collection of Extraordinary Papers in Medicine, Surgery and the Scientific Method. Museum Press Books. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4415-0829-4.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]