What Cullen's Sign Points To

GI & Hepatic · Question from the ATI RN Medical-Surgical 2023 Proctored Exam study set

Correct answer: C. Pancreatitis

Why this is the answer

Cullen's sign — bluish discoloration or ecchymosis around the umbilicus — reflects blood tracking from intra-abdominal or retroperitoneal bleeding, most classically seen in severe acute pancreatitis. Appendicitis (A) doesn't produce this bruising pattern. Cholecystitis (B) is associated with a different assessment finding entirely — Murphy's sign, pain on palpation under the right costal margin during inspiration. Meningitis (D) is a completely unrelated condition with no connection to abdominal bruising.

The bigger concept

Cullen's sign and Turner's sign are a matched pair worth learning together — both indicate the same underlying process (retroperitoneal hemorrhage, usually from severe pancreatitis), just in two different locations: Cullen's around the umbilicus, Turner's on the flanks.

Related GI & Hepatic practice questions

• Where Turner's Sign Appears in Pancreatitis
• What 'Borborygmi' Sounds Actually Are
• Positive Murphy's Sign: What It Diagnoses
• Treating High Ammonia Levels in Cirrhosis
• The Most Common Trigger for Autonomic Dysreflexia

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