[Physical examination--percussion of the thorax]

Percussion of the chest cannot detect small lesions (< 3 cm in diameter) and lesions situated deep in the lung (5-7 cm away from the outside of the thoracic wall). The value of percussion as a test to detect a pathological pulmonary situation in comparison with chest radiography is evaluated in only a few studies. Chest percussion appears to be of limited value; especially the sensitivity is very low. Moreover, the inter- and intra-observer errors are high. The value of percussion to detect cardiomegaly is only investigated in one recent study in a selected patient population. In this study the predictive values as well as the reproducibility appear to be moderate.