Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Auscultatory percussion: a simple method to detect pleural effusion

J R Guarino1, J C Guarino

  • 1University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle.

Journal of General Internal Medicine
|February 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Auscultatory percussion to detect ascites.

The New England journal of medicine·1986
Same author

Auscultatory percussion of the urinary bladder.

Archives of internal medicine·1985
Same author

Auscultatory percussion of the head.

British medical journal (Clinical research ed.)·1982
Same author

Auscultatory percussion of the bladder to detect urinary retention.

The New England journal of medicine·1981
Same author

Auscultatory percussion of the chest.

Lancet (London, England)·1980
Same author

Abdominal aortic aneurysm.

The Journal of the Kansas Medical Society·1975

Auscultatory percussion (AP) is a highly sensitive and specific new technique for detecting free pleural fluid. This method accurately identifies pleural effusions missed by standard physical examination and chest radiography.

Area of Science:

  • Pulmonology
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Physical Examination Techniques

Background:

  • Free pleural fluid detection is crucial for diagnosing various respiratory conditions.
  • Conventional diagnostic methods, including physical examination and chest radiography, have limitations in sensitivity and specificity.
  • A need exists for a more accurate and accessible technique for identifying pleural effusions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of a novel auscultatory percussion (AP) technique for detecting free pleural fluid.
  • To compare the diagnostic performance of AP with standard radiological assessments.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective, blind study involving 118 inpatients with confirmed pleural effusion and 175 controls.
  • Auscultatory percussion (AP) was used to identify a distinct horizontal fluid level and its shift with lateral tilt.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Results were compared against chest radiography findings.

    • Main Results:

    • AP demonstrated high sensitivity (95.8%) in detecting pleural effusions, accurately identifying fluid levels in 113 out of 118 patients.
    • AP exhibited 100% specificity, with no false positives in the control group.
    • The technique successfully identified subpulmonic effusions and was effective even with complicating factors like obesity and lung disease.

    Conclusions:

    • Auscultatory percussion (AP) is a highly sensitive and specific method for detecting free pleural fluid.
    • AP can identify effusions missed by conventional physical examination and standard chest radiography.
    • This technique is simple, accurate, and capable of detecting small fluid volumes (as little as 50 mL).