Medical Dictionary

Homans' sign

noun Ho·mans' sign \ ˈhō-mənz- \

medical Definition of Homans' sign

: pain in the calf of the leg upon dorsiflexion of the foot with the leg extended that is diagnostic of thrombosis in the deep veins of the area

Biographical Note for homans' sign

Homans, John (1877–1954), American surgeon. Homans was a pioneer in the study of the pancreas. His investigations helped to pave the way for the discovery of insulin as a treatment for diabetes. He also devised an operation for the excision of ulcers in 1929 and wrote a treatise on circulatory diseases of the extremities in 1939. He described Homans' sign in 1941.