There are several historical references to auscultation in medical literature. The intensity and character of breath sounds help determine the location and pathology of thoracic disease.Īuscultation, or listening to the sounds within the body, is a fundamental examination procedure in clinical medicine. Abnormal, or adventitious, sounds are classified as crackles, wheezes, stertor, and stridor. Normal breath sounds are classified as bronchial, bronchovesicular, and vesicular. The character of the sound that is heard at the surface is determined by the factors influencing the production of the sound, and acoustical characteristics of the intervening tissues. Breath sounds originate in the large airways due to turbulence in airflow. Differences in the acoustical density of tissues result in attenuation, reflection, and refraction of these sound waves. Auscultable sounds originate as mechanical vibrations within compressible media that are then transmitted through the tissues as sound waves. Differences in the intensity and character of sounds can be useful in distinguishing underlying thoracic pathology. Many clues as to both respiratory and cardiac function and disease can be obtained through proper auscultation. Thoracic auscultation and percussion are two of the most useful and economical procedures of a physical examination. Books & VINcyclopedia of Diseases (Formerly Associate).VINcyclopedia of Diseases (Formerly Associate).
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