Grey Turner’s sign refers to bruising of the flanks, the part of the body between the last rib and the top of the hip.
The bruising appears as a blue discoloration.
It is a sign of retroperitoneal hemorrhage, or bleeding behind the peritoneum, which is a lining of the abdominal cavity.
Grey Turner’s sign takes 24–48 hours to develop, and can predict a severe attack of acute pancreatitis.
With acute pancreatitis, methemalbumin is formed from digested blood tracks subcutaneously around the abdomen from the inflamed pancreas.
Associated with pancreatic hemorrhage, retroperitoneal hemorrhage,
Blunt abdominal trauma, ruptured / hemorrhagic ectopic pregnancy,
Spontaneous bleeding secondary to coagulopathy, aortic rupture, from ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm or other causes.