Published in:
01-09-2018 | Classics in Abdominal Radiology
The “caput medusae” sign in portal hypertension
Published in: Abdominal Radiology | Issue 9/2018
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The “caput medusae” sign is a clinical and radiological finding, which can be detected in patients with severe portal hypertension. It describes engorged paraumbilical veins radiating from the umbilicus within the adipose tissue of the anterior abdominal wall, creating portosystemic anastomoses [1]. This sign takes its name from Medusa, the mythological gorgon of Greek mythology, generally described as a winged human female with living venomous snakes in place of hair (Fig. 1). She instantly turned anyone to stone who looked upon her hideous face, until she was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who used her severed head as a weapon, literally petrifying his enemy [2].
Fig. 1
Medusa: Michelangelo Merisi called Caravaggio, 1597 (oil on canvas mounted on wood) [5]
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