Turtleback sign

Last revised by Cleah Ong-Dobuyan on 19 Mar 2025

Turtleback sign or carapace sign, described as tortoise-shell appearance, represents a characteristic appearance of chronic hepatic schistosomiasis in which liver margins are irregular and nodular. Dystrophic calcifications within a polygonal network of fibrous septa are seen in the periphery, often perpendicular to the liver capsule, resembling the turtle's carapace. It is considered pathognomonic for hepatic schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma japonicum or Schistosoma mansoni 2, and associated with fibrosis but not necessarily with liver cirrhosis 3.

Cases and figures

  • Figure 1: turtle
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