In 1890, Ludwig Courvoisier described his observation
that patients with painless jaundice and a palpable gallbladder often have a
malignant obstruction of the common bile duct; this is known as “Courvoisier's
law.” Painless jaundice and a palpable gallbladder are present in 50%–70% of
patients with periampullary cancer or carcinoma of the head of pancreas. The
gallbladder with stones is usually chronically fibrosed and so, incapable of
enlargement.
