To strike objects to produce a sound; in dentistry, tapping with fingers or with a medical device on oral structures can allow for diagnoses regarding the state of inflammation, disease onset, or progression or healing.
Diagnostic technique in which various body surfaces are tapped; the resulting sounds indicate the size, position, and general condition of underlying organs or structures.
A physician’s use of thumping and listening during a medical examination.
A test, usually on the heart and lungs, in which the doctor taps part of the person’s body and listens to the sound produced.
Technique of physical examination in which the fingers or a small tool (percussor) are used to tap parts of the body in an attempt to determine the size and outline of internal organs and to detect the presence of fluid.
Tapping the finger of one hand, spread over a large body cavity to detect characteristics of underlying structures; use of a cupped hand to strike the chest and various lung fields in efforts to break up mucus for expectoration or suctioning.
The technique of examining part of the body by tapping it with the fingers or an instrument (plessor) and sensing the resultant vibrations. With experience it is possible to detect the presence of abnormal solidification or enlargement in different organs and the presence of fluid, for example in the lungs.
An aid to diagnosis practiced by striking the patient’s body with the fingers, in such a way as to make it give out a note. The technique was introduced in 1761 by Leopold Auenbrugger (1722-1809) of Vienna, the son of an innkeeper, who derived the idea from the habit of his father tapping casks of wine to ascertain how much wine they contained. According to the degree of dullness or resonance of the note, an opinion can be formed as to the state of consolidation of air-containing organs, the presence of abnormal cavities in organs, and the dimensions of solid and air-containing organs, which happen to lie next to one another. Still more valuable evidence is given by auscultation.
Striking the body surface (usually with the fingers or a small hammer) to determine the position, size, or density of underlying structures.
Percussion is a diagnostic technique involving the gentle striking of the body’s surface with fingertips to elicit audible sounds or detect palpable vibrations. This method enables the assessment of the position, size, and texture of internal organs. In the case of the chest, it is employed to evaluate the presence of normal air content within the lungs, while over the abdomen, it aids in the examination of air within the loops of the intestine.
Percussion is a diagnostic method that entails gently tapping the chest or abdomen with the fingers and analyzing the resulting sound. This sound aids the doctor in assessing the state of the internal organs.
Gently tapping the surface with a finger to produce a sound that can help determine whether the underlying area is hollow or solid.