“Courvoisier's law”

In 1890, Ludwig Courvoisier described his observation that patients with painless jaundice and a palpable gallbladder often have a malignant obstruction of the common bile duct; this is known as “Courvoisier's law.” Painless jaundice and a palpable gallbladder are present in 50%–70% of patients with periampullary cancer or carcinoma of the head of pancreas. The gallbladder with stones is usually chronically fibrosed and so, incapable of enlargement.