Chest Percussion

These flashcards encapsulate key vocabulary and concepts relevant to chest percussion and its clinical significance, aiding in exam preparation.

Percussion

The act of striking the surface of the body to produce audible sounds and palpable vibrations.

Pleximeter

A device used to facilitate percussion, typically the 3rd Distal Interphalangeal Joint of the left middle finger.

Plexor

The tip of the right middle finger used to strike the pleximeter.

Sonorous Percussion

A type of percussion to elicit sound that indicates the density of the underlying tissue.

Hyperresonance

A sound indicating abnormal air in the pleural space, often associated with pneumothorax.

Tympany

A loud, high-pitched sound produced by percussion over air-filled structures like the stomach.

Dullness

A sound produced by percussion over solid organs like the liver or spleen, indicating increased density.

Resonance

The normal sound produced by percussion over healthy lung tissue.

Flatness

A soft, high-pitched sound produced by percussion over dense structures such as muscle or thigh.

Definitive Percussion

A method to determine the borders of organs through striking the body surface.

Diaphragmatic Excursion

The measurement of the distance the diaphragm moves during breathing.

Auenbrugger

The physician who developed the technique of percussion in 1754.

Corvisart

The physician who translated Auenbrugger's work, helping to popularize percussion in the 1800s.

Consolidation

Fluid-filled areas in the lungs indicating infection such as pneumonia.

Pleural Effusion

An excess of fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs.

Auscultation

The technique of listening to the internal sounds of the body, often using a stethoscope.

Tactile Fremitus

Vibrations felt on the chest wall when the patient speaks, used to assess lung pathology.

Bronchial Obstruction

A blockage in the bronchial tubes that can lead to atelectasis.

Liver Dullness

Dullness noted during percussion over the liver area, signifying solid density.

Emphysema

A condition causing hyperinflated lungs resulting in decreased resonance on percussion.

Pneumothorax

A collection of air in the pleural space causing hyperresonance during percussion.

Kronig's Isthmus

A narrow area of lung resonance between the muscle dullness of the neck and shoulders.

Traube’s Semilunar Space

A crescent-shaped area over the stomach that appears tympanitic on percussion.

Auscultatory Percussion

A technique where sounds are heard while tapping over the manubrium with a stethoscope on the back.

Coin Test

A method using a coin to detect pleural effusion through resonance and sound.

Atelectasis

Complete or partial collapse of the lung, which produces dullness on percussion.

Inspiration/Expiration

The phases of breathing, which affect diaphragmatic excursion measurements.

Normal Chest Findings

Expected results from percussion, inspection, and palpation in healthy individuals.

Inspection for Chest Expansion

Visual assessment to ensure equal expansion of the chest during respiration.

Pneumonia

Infection of the lower respiratory tract that leads to fluid-filled alveoli.

Position of Trachea

Assessment during palpation to evaluate possible deviations due to lung pathology.

Abnormal Chest Signs

Physical findings such as consolidation, pleural effusion, or atelectasis observed in patients.

Clinical Examination

A thorough assessment of a patient often integrating percussion, palpation, and auscultation.