Phenomenon of Gallavardin

The Gallavardin phenomenon is a clinical sign found in patients with aortic stenosis. It is described as the dissociation between the noisy and musical components of the heart murmur heard in aortic stenosis. The harsh noisy component is better auscultated at the right upper sternal border radiating to the neck because of the high ejection velocity in the ascending aorta. The presence of a systolic murmur in the apex may be mistaken for mitral insufficiency. However, the apical murmur of the Gallavardin phenomenon does not radiate to the left axilla and is accentuated by the slowing of the heart rate (such as a compensatory pause after an extrasystole), whereas in mitral insufficiency it does not change. >

The sign was named by Louis Gallavardin, and described by Gallavardin and Ravault in 1925.

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