The Gallavardin phenomenon is a
clinical sign found in patients with
aortic stenosis. It is described as the dissociation between the noisy and musical components of the systolic
murmur heard in aortic stenosis. The harsh noisy component is best heard at the upper right sternal border radiating to the neck due to the high velocity jet in the
ascending aorta. The musical high frequency component is best heard at the
cardiac apex. The presence of a murmur at the apex can be misinterpreted as
mitral regurgitation
Mitral regurgitation (MR), also known as mitral insufficiency or mitral incompetence, is a form of valvular heart disease in which the mitral valve is insufficient and does not close properly when the heart pumps out blood. Section: Valvular He ...
. However, the apical murmur of the Gallavardin phenomenon does not radiate to the left
axilla
The axilla (: axillae or axillas; also known as the armpit, underarm or oxter) is the area on the human body directly under the shoulder joint. It includes the axillary space, an anatomical space within the shoulder girdle between the arm a ...
and is accentuated by a slowing of the
heart rate
Heart rate is the frequency of the cardiac cycle, heartbeat measured by the number of contractions of the heart per minute (''beats per minute'', or bpm). The heart rate varies according to the body's Human body, physical needs, including the nee ...
(such as a compensatory pause after a
premature beat) whereas the mitral regurgitation murmur does not change.
The sign is named after
Louis Gallavardin, having been described by Gallavardin and Ravault in 1925.
[Dale Berg, Katherine Worzala. ''Atlas of adult physical diagnosis'', page 85. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006. ]
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References
Symptoms and signs: Cardiac
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