SynthesisNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2020
Diagonal earlobe crease (Frank's sign) and increased risk of cerebrovascular diseases: review of the literature and implications for clinical practice.
Synthesis in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of Diagonal Earlobe Crease (Frank's Sign) with Intracranial Aneurysm Rupture at Small Sizes.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Frank's Sign and Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Patients Hospitalized for Pneumonia: A Prospective Single-Center Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- A new clinical examination finding in obstructive sleep apnea; diagonal auricular fold (Frank sign).Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2026Article
- Beyond the Usual Suspects: A Narrative Review of High-Yield Non-Traditional Risk Factors for Atherosclerosis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Frank's Sign as a Dose-Dependent Marker of White Matter Burden in CADASIL: A Brain MRI Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Advancements in Frank's sign Identification using deep learning on 3D brain MRI.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Clinical Value of the Diagonal Earlobe Crease in Patients with Chest Pain for Diagnosing Coronary Heart Disease.International journal of general medicine · 2024Article
- Diagonal Earlobe Crease (Frank's Sign): a New Clinical Sign to Look for in Patients With Ruptured and Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms? Patient Series.Neurosurgery practice · 2023Article
- Frank's sign and paired ear creases of the helix : Current concepts of significance for morbidity.Wiener klinische Wochenschrift · 2022Review
- Frank's Sign in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Sideburn Adiposity: A Case Report and Illustrated Hypothesis.Cureus · 2021Article
- Prevalence of the Frank's sign by aetiopathogenic stroke subtype: A prospective analysis.PloS one · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Diagonal earlobe crease (DELC) or Frank's sign is a diagonal crease in the earlobe that extends diagonally from the tragus to the edge of the auricle with an angle of approximately 45°. Although its presence increases with advancing age, several studies have shown an independent association between DELC and cardiovascular diseases as well as peripheral vascular diseases. DELC has also been demonstrated to increase the risk of cerebrovascular events (mostly ischaemic stroke), probably through atherosclerotic mechanisms. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and Embase to identify studies investigating the relationship between DELC and the occurrence of cerebrovascular diseases. We identified 5 articles (1469 subjects included). Since the presence of DELC can be easily evaluated, patients with the Frank's sign should undergo a diagnostic workup to detect vascular risk factors and implement preventative therapies.
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