Cardarelli's sign is an abnormal pulsation of the trachea

Vertebrate trachea

In tetrapod anatomy the trachea, or windpipe, is a tube that connects the pharynx or larynx to the lungs, allowing the passage of air. It is lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium cells with goblet cells that produce mucus...

 that may be found in patients with a dilation or aneurysm

Aortic aneurysm

An aortic aneurysm is a general term for any swelling of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal, usually representing an underlying weakness in the wall of the aorta at that location...

 of the aortic arch

Aortic arch

The arch of the aorta or the transverse aortic arch is the part of the aorta that begins at the level of the upper border of the second sternocostal articulation of the right side, and runs at first upward, backward, and to the left in front of the trachea; it is then directed backward on the left...

.

Cardarelli's sign can be felt by a physician pressing on the thyroid cartilage

Thyroid cartilage

The thyroid cartilage is the largest of the nine cartilages that make up the laryngeal skeleton, the cartilage structure in and around the trachea that contains the larynx....

 and displacing it to the patient's left. This increases contact between the left bronchus

Bronchus

A bronchus is a passage of airway in the respiratory tract that conducts air into the lungs. The bronchus branches into smaller tubes, which in turn become bronchioles....

 and the aorta, allowing systolic

Cardiac cycle

The cardiac cycle is a term referring to all or any of the events related to the flow or blood pressure that occurs from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. The frequency of the cardiac cycle is described by the heart rate. Each beat of the heart involves five major stages...

 pulsations from the aorta to be felt at the surface if an aneurysm is present.

See also

• Aortic aneurysm
  Aortic aneurysm
  An aortic aneurysm is a general term for any swelling of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal, usually representing an underlying weakness in the wall of the aorta at that location...
  
  
• Oliver's sign
  Oliver's sign
  Oliver's sign, or the tracheal tug sign, is an abnormal downward movement of the trachea during systole that can indicate a dilation or aneurysm of the aortic arch....