Woltman sign

Woltman sign
Differential diagnosis	hypothyroidism or anorexia nervosa

Woltman's sign (also called Woltman's sign of hypothyroidism or, in older references, myxedema reflex ^[1] ) is a delayed relaxation phase of an elicited deep tendon reflex, usually tested in the Achilles tendon of the patient.

Woltman's sign is named for Henry Woltman, an American neurologist. ^[2]

Associated conditions

The delayed ankle jerks are associated with: ^{[3] [4]}

• hypothyroidism;
• Huntington's disease;
• several neurological symptoms;
• anorexia nervosa;
• extreme old age;
• beta-blockers or other drugs; and/or
• hypothermia.

History

In 1924, ^[5] William Calvert Chaney (1888–1965), ^[6] who worked under Henry Woltman at the Mayo Clinic, seems to have been the first to publish a description of the sign, but Woltman had no authorship and was not mentioned in Chaney's manuscript. The eponym "Woltman's sign of myxedema" was first published in 1956 at the time of Woltman's retirement. ^[7]

References

1. Houston CS (1958). "The diagnostic importance of the myxoedema reflex (Woltman's sign)". Canadian Medical Association Journal. 78 (2): 108–112. PMC   1829539 . PMID   13489635.
2. "Woltman's sign of hypothyroidism". www.whonamedit.com.
3. Dennis, Mark; Bowen, William Talbot; Cho, Lucy (2012). "Hyporeflexia/delayed ankle jerks". Mechanisms of Clinical Signs. Elsevier. p. 537. ISBN   9780729540759.
4. Marinella MA (2004). Kamath B (ed.). "Review of Clinical Signs: Woltman's Sign of Hypothyroidism" (PDF). Hospital Physician. 40 (1): 31–32.
5. Chaney WC (1924). "Tendon reflexes in myxedema: a valuable aid in diagnosis". Journal of the American Medical Association. 82 (25): 2013–2016. doi:10.1001/jama.1924.02650510013005.
6. "William Calvert Chaney - Genealogical Records". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
7. Burkholder D; Klaas J; Kumar N; Boes C (2013). "The Origin of Woltman's Sign of Myxedema (P05. 256)". Neurology. 80 (7 Supplement): P05-256.