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Rom·berg's sign or Rom·berg sign 'räm-.bərg(z)- n a diagnostic sign of tabes dorsalis and other diseases of the nervous system consisting of a swaying of the body when the feet are placed close together and the eyes are closed

Rom·berg 'rȯm-berk Moritz Heinrich (1795-1873)

German pathologist. A professor of medicine at Berlin, Romberg wrote the first formal treatise on diseases of the nervous system. Published 1840 to 1846, it was the first attempt to organize scattered data and to systematize methods of treatment. The manual was notable for emphasizing the significance of physiological principles in interpreting neurological function and for its precise clinical illustrations. The treatise contains descriptions of the pathognomonic symptom of tabes dorsalis, now known as Romberg's sign, and of neuralgia affecting the eye, brow, or temple. Romberg is also remembered for his classic description of achondroplasia in 1817.

a finding on examination suggesting a sensory disorder affecting those nerves that transmit information to the brain about the position of the limbs and joints and the tension in the muscles. The patient is asked to stand upright. Romberg's sign is positive if he maintains his posture when his eyes are open but sways and falls when his eyes are closed.