Rosh Internal Medicine Boost Practice Exam 2025 - Free Internal Medicine Questions and Study Guide

Murphy's sign is particularly associated with cholecystitis, which is the inflammation of the gallbladder often due to gallstones. The classic presentation includes right upper quadrant pain that exacerbates with the deep inhalation during palpation of the gallbladder area. When a clinician performs the examination and palpates the right upper quadrant while asking the patient to take a deep breath, the patient may abruptly stop inhaling due to the pain caused by the inflamed gallbladder making contact with the examining hand. This specific sign indicates the presence of gallbladder irritation and is a hallmark finding in patients suspected of having cholecystitis.

The other signs mentioned are associated with different conditions. For example, McBurney's point tenderness is typically related to appendicitis, rebound tenderness indicates peritonitis, and Gray Turner's sign is associated with retroperitoneal hemorrhage. Therefore, the presence of Murphy's sign specifically suggests cholecystitis, making it the classic sign for this condition.