Osler's nodes are painful, red, raised lesions on the palms and soles. They are associated with a number of conditions, including infective endocarditis, and are caused by immune complex deposition. They are named after Sir William Osler who described them in the early 20th century.^[1][2] Their presence is one definition of Osler's sign.^[3]

[edit] Causes

Osler's nodes result from the deposition of immune complexes.^{[citation needed]} The resulting inflammatory response leads to swelling, redness, and pain that characterize these lesions.

The nodes are commonly indicative of subacute bacterial endocarditis.^[4] 10–25% of endocarditis patients will have Osler's nodes.^{[citation needed]} Other signs of endocarditis include Roth's spots and Janeway lesions. The latter, which also occur on the palms and soles, can be differentiated from Osler's nodes because they are nontender.^[5]

It can also be seen in

• systemic lupus erythematosus
• marantic endocarditis
• disseminated gonococcal infection
• distal to infected arterial catheter

[edit] External links

• Picture of Osler's nodes and Janeway's lesions

[edit] References

v • d • e Eponymous medical signs for circulatory system Heart disease Heart murmur Systolic heart murmur: benign paediatric heart murmur (Still's murmur) Diastolic heart murmur: pulmonic regurgitation (Graham Steell murmur) · aortic insufficiency (Austin Flint murmur) Aortic insufficiency Watson's water hammer pulse/Corrigan pulse · De Musset's sign · Duroziez's sign · Müller's sign · Quincke's sign · Austin Flint murmur · Mayne's sign Other endocardium endocarditis: Roth's spot · Janeway lesion/Osler's node · Bracht-Wachter bodies Pericardium cardiac tamponade/pericardial effusion: Beck's triad · Ewart's sign Other rheumatic fever: Anitschkow cell · Aschoff body EKG (Osborn wave) angina pectoris (Levine's sign) Vascular disease Arterial aortic aneurysm (Cardarelli's sign, Oliver's sign) · pulmonary embolism (McConnell's sign) · radial artery sufficiency (Allen's test) · pseudohypertension (Osler's sign) · thrombus (Lines of Zahn) Adson's sign · arteriovenous fistula (Nicoladoni sign) Venous Friedreich's sign · Caput medusae · Kussmaul's sign · DVT (Pratt's sign, Lisker's sign) · Trendelenburg's test · superior vena cava syndrome (Pemberton's sign) heart navs: anat/physio/dev, noncongen/congen/neoplasia, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc vascular navs: anat/physio/dev, noncongen/systemic vasculitis/congen/neoplasia, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc

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