Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of Chvostek's sign
: a twitch of the facial muscles following gentle tapping over the facial nerve in front of the ear that indicates hyperirritability of the facial nerve
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Biographical Note for chvostek's sign
Chvostek
\ˈḵvȯs-ˌtek\, Franz
(1835–1884), Austrian surgeon. Chvostek was a military doctor and professor at a military medical school in Vienna. In 1876 he published an article in which he announced his discovery that in a patient with tetany, tapping the facial nerve in front of the ear produces a spasm of the cheek muscles. This sign of tetany now bears his name.
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