Kirklin sign

The Kirklin sign refers to a deformity of the normal gastric bubble on an upright chest radiograph due to a mass lesion of the gastric cardia or fundus.

The Kirklin sign is different from the Kirklin complex, a gastric finding on upper GI fluoroscopy.

History and etymology

Byrl Raymond Kirklin, (1888-1957) an American radiologist described this finding in 1939 .

Differential diagnosis

The differential for a Kirklin sign includes:

• gastric tumor
  • gastric carcinoma
  • esophageal carcinoma
  • gastrointestinal stromal tumor
  • other gastro-esophageal tumors (such as lymphoma)
• gastro-esophageal varices
• fundoplication