Laennec pearls

Laën·nec pearls

(lah-ĕ-nek'), obsolete term for small round translucent, tenacious bodies in the sputum of some people with asthma; when floated in water, they unfurl and become recognizable as Curschmann spirals.

Laënnec pearls

Round gelatinous masses seen in asthmatic sputum.See also: Laënnec, René

Laënnec,

René T.H., French physician, 1781-1826. Laënnec catarrh - asthmatic bronchitis with pearllike expectoration.Laënnec cirrhosis - cirrhosis in which normal liver lobules are replaced by small regeneration nodules.Synonym(s): Laënnec disease; portal cirrhosisLaënnec disease - Synonym(s): Laënnec cirrhosisLaënnec pearls - obsolete term for small, round, translucent, tenacious bodies in the sputum of some persons with asthma.