Codman Symptom

**Codman's symptom** is a sign of the spread of a purulent process along the chest wall, sometimes mistaken for a new symptom or diagnosis. The symptom was described in 1876 by the English physician Richard Coates. With it, the presence of hyperemia, swelling and local increase in skin temperature on the affected side is noted. In some cases, when the last two fasciae are damaged, a scarlet, star-shaped zone of hyperesthesia may form, which disappears after the appearance of multiple abscesses and sloping cracks. Therefore, in Russia this reflex is sometimes considered a possible criterion not only for diagnosis"