Sonographic Murphy’s Sign: Maximum tenderness on direct ultrasound probe compression over the gallbladder; a positive sign supports the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis.
The sonographic Murphy’s sign is maximal tenderness elicited by direct probe pressure over the sonographically identified gallbladder. It is a key diagnostic criterion for acute cholecystitis with a positive predictive value of ~92% when combined with gallstones. It is distinguished from the clinical Murphy’s sign by the precision of ultrasound-guided localization.