Osler's node

Not to be confused with Janeway lesion.
For other Osler's signs, see Osler's sign (disambiguation).
Osler's node
Osler's lesions found on the hand and fingers of a 43-year-old male with subacute bacterial endocarditis
Differential diagnosisinfective endocarditis

Osler's nodes are painful, red, raised lesions found on the hands and feet. They are associated with a number of conditions, including infective endocarditis, and are caused by immune complex deposition. Their presence is one definition of Osler's sign.[1]

Causes

Osler's nodes result from the deposition of immune complexes.[2] The resulting inflammatory response leads to swelling, redness, and pain that characterize these lesions.

The nodes are commonly indicative of subacute bacterial endocarditis.[3] 10–25% of endocarditis patients will have Osler's nodes.[4] Other signs of endocarditis include Roth's spots and Janeway lesions. The latter, which also occur on the palms and soles, can be differentiated from Osler's nodes because they are non-tender.[2]

Osler's nodes can also be seen in

Etymology

Osler's nodes are named after Sir William Osler who described them in the early twentieth century.[5][6] He described them as "ephemeral spots of a painful nodular erythema, chiefly in the skin of the hands and feet."[7]

References

  1. ^ "Osler sign" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
  2. ^ a b Farrior, JB; Silverman, ME (August 1976). "A consideration of the differences between a Janeway's lesion and an Osler's node in infectious endocarditis" (PDF). Chest. 70 (2): 239–43. doi:10.1378/chest.70.2.239. PMID 947688.
  3. ^ "Osler nodes" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
  4. ^ "Endocarditis". The Lecturio Medical Concept Library. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  5. ^ synd/1702 at Who Named It?
  6. ^ Osler, W (1908–1909). "Chronic infectious endocarditis". Quarterly Journal of Medicine. 2. Oxford: 219–230.
  7. ^ Parashar K, Daveluy S. "Osler's Node and Janeway Lesions". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 19 July 2021.