Percussion is helpful to diagnose the causes of a protuberant abdomen | Tenderness elicited by percussion is abnormal, and peritoneal inflammation should be suspected |
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In the midclavicular line, the liver span is generally between six and twelve centimeters | Tenderness on percussion is abnormal and can indicate peritoneal inflammation |
Explain the procedure to the patient and obtain their consent before starting with the exam.
3Overview Source: Alexander Goldfarb, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, MA Medical percussion is based on the difference in pitch between the sounds elicited by tapping on the body wall | If the percussion note is dull, or becomes dull on inspiration, splenomegaly should be suspected |
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Perform light percussion over each of the nine abdominal regions | Correct percussion technique is critical for this method to be effective |
Percuss in the right midclavicular line downwards starting at the nipple line to identify an upper border of liver dullness.
18One should also be aware of the limitation of the method and the sensitivity of each diagnostic maneuver | Therefore, by percussing one can predict the cause of protuberant abdomen, which helps in diagnosis of conditions like ascites |
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The presence of large areas of dullness should prompt evaluation for organomegaly, intra-abdominal masses, or fluid | Lastly, percussion is helpful to detect the cause of a protuberant abdomen |
Note the point where the resonant sound changes to dullness…and mark it with a skin pencil.
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