Rhonchi is the coarse rattling sound somewhat like snoring, usually caused by secretion in bronchial airways. Rhonchi is the plural form of the singular word rhonchus.

Description

It is an abnormal or adventitious sound heard when listening to the chest as the person breathes. These are low pitched, continuous sounds that are similar to wheezes. Some have described the sounds as being similar to the sound of a donkey's hooves as they run. They are present when an airway is partially obstructed owing to secretions, mucosal swelling, or tumor tissue pressing on the passage. The sounds are gurgling noises heard on auscultation

Auscultation

Auscultation is the term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope...

 of the lungs with a stethoscope

Stethoscope

The stethoscope is an acoustic medical device for auscultation, or listening to the internal sounds of an animal body. It is often used to listen to lung and heart sounds. It is also used to listen to intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins...

 during inhalation

Inhalation

Inhalation is the movement of air from the external environment, through the air ways, and into the alveoli....

 or exhalation

Exhalation

Exhalation is the movement of air out of the bronchial tubes, through the airways, to the external environment during breathing....

. The sounds are caused by the flow of air through thick mucous secretions in the larger air passages such as the bronchioles but can also be associated with smaller structures such as the alveoli.

Rhonchi can be heard in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , also known as chronic obstructive lung disease , chronic obstructive airway disease , chronic airflow limitation and chronic obstructive respiratory disease , is the co-occurrence of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of commonly co-existing diseases...

 (COPD) and acute or severe bronchitis

Bronchitis

Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...

. COPD is an all inclusive syndrome that stems from the reduction of surface area associated with emphysema

Emphysema

Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...

 and the production of mucous secretions, bronchospasm

Bronchospasm

Bronchospasm or a bronchial spasm is a sudden constriction of the muscles in the walls of the bronchioles. It is caused by the release of substances from mast cells or basophils under the influence of anaphylatoxins...

 and inflammation

Inflammation

Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...

 associated with bronchitis.

Related techniques

Other tools used in auscultation include listening for egophony

Egophony

Egophony is an increased resonance of voice sounds heard when auscultating the lungs, often caused by lung consolidation and fibrosis. It is due to enhanced transmission of high-frequency noise across fluid, such as in abnormal lung tissue, with lower frequencies filtered out...

, whispered pectoriloquy

Whispered pectoriloquy

Whispered pectoriloquy refers to an increased loudness of whispering noted during auscultation with a stethoscope on the lung fields on a patient's back.Usually sounds of this volume would not be heard when whispered...

, rales

Rales

Crackles, crepitations, or rales are the clicking, rattling, or crackling noises that may be made by one or both lungs of a human with a respiratory disease during inhalation. They are often heard only with a stethoscope...

, rhonchi or wheezing. Also, percussion

Percussion (medicine)

Percussion is a method of tapping on a surface to determine the underlying structure, and is used in clinical examinations to assess the condition of the thorax or abdomen. It is one of the four methods of clinical examination, together with inspection, palpation and auscultation...

is often used to determine diseases of the chest.

External links

• Adventitious Sounds of Respiratory System