- Fontaine’s sign is a clinical examination finding that is sometimes seen with carotid body tumours (also known as carotid body paragangliomas).
- Fontaine’s sign is where a palpable tumour is mobile in a horizontal plane but is fixed in a vertical plane. This is due to the attachment of the carotid body tumour to the carotid bifurcation.
- Another commonly described sign with carotid body tumours is the Lyre sign, where on an imaging, there is splaying of the internal and external carotids due to the tumour.
Last updated October 15, 2022
