Glossary of Terms in Otolaryngology

Schwartze Sign

  • The Schwartze sign is a clinical finding sometimes seen on otoscopy during the otospongiotic phase of otosclerosis.1
    • It is seen as a pink blush behind the tympanic membrane over the area of the promontory.
    • This is thought to be due to increased vascularity of the bone over the promontory due to active inflammation and bony resorption from otospongiosis.

Schwartze Sign

  1. Batson, Lora, and Denise Rizzolo. “Otosclerosis: An update on diagnosis and treatment.” Jaapa 30.2 (2017): 17-22. ↩

Last updated October 11, 2022
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