The story
Named after František Chvostek, Austrian-born surgeon who described it.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Chvostek sign
Today it means: One of the signs of tetany seen in hypocalcemia. When the facial nerve is tapped at the angle of the jaw (i.e. masseter muscle), the facial muscles on the same side of the face contract momentarily. Full definition →