De Musset's sign is a type of rhythmic
bobbing of the head in synchrony with the beating of the
heart
The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
, seen in severe
aortic regurgitation
Aortic regurgitation (AR), also known as aortic insufficiency (AI), is the leaking of the aortic valve of the heart that causes blood to flow in the reverse direction during ventricular diastole, from the aorta into the left ventricle. As a conse ...
.
This sign occurs as a result of blood from the
aorta
The aorta ( ; : aortas or aortae) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the Ventricle (heart), left ventricle of the heart, branching upwards immediately after, and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits at ...
regurgitating into the
left ventricle
A ventricle is one of two large chambers located toward the bottom of the heart that collect and expel blood towards the peripheral beds within the body and lungs. The blood pumped by a ventricle is supplied by an atrium, an adjacent chamber in t ...
due to a defect in the
aortic valve
The aortic valve is a valve in the heart of humans and most other animals, located between the left ventricle and the aorta. It is one of the four valves of the heart and one of the two semilunar valves, the other being the pulmonary valve. ...
.
The nodding is an indication that the
systolic pulse is being felt by the individual because of the increased pulse pressure resulting from the aortic insufficiency.
The sign is named after the French poet
Alfred de Musset
Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...
after his brother noticed him exhibiting it.
["Twelve eponymous signs of aortic regurgitation, one of which was named after a patient instead of a physician", in: ''The American Journal of Cardiology'', vol. 93, issue 10, 15 May 2004, pp. 1332–3; by Tsung O. Cheng MD.]
See also
*
Aortic aneurysm
An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. Typically, there are no symptoms except when the aneurysm dissects or ruptures, which causes sudden, severe pain in the abdomen and lower back ...
*
Tremor
A tremor is an involuntary, somewhat rhythmic muscle contraction and relaxation involving neural oscillations, oscillations or twitching movements of one or more body parts. It is the most common of all involuntary movements and can affect the h ...
References
{{Cardiovascular system symptoms and signs
Cardiovascular diseases
Medical signs