Whispered pectoriloquy
Encyclopedia
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. It is a test performed during a medical physical examination to evaluate for the presence of lung consolidation, which could be caused by cancer or pneumonia.
and egophony
. In bronchophony, the physician often asks the patient to say “ninety-nine” or "baseball" while listening over the lung fields: the sound will be louder in areas where consolidation is present.
s, calculated to cause maximum vibration of the chest. The translation, "ninety-nine", has fewer vowels and is less effective in evoking the phenomenon. Better phrases in English include "toy boat”, "Scooby Doo", and “blue balloons".
Auscultation
Auscultation is the term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope...
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...
on the lung fields on a patient's back.
Usually sounds of this volume would not be heard when whispered. It is a test performed during a medical physical examination to evaluate for the presence of lung consolidation, which could be caused by cancer or pneumonia.
Related tests
The test is similar to the test for bronchophonyBronchophony
Bronchophony, also known as bronchiloquy, is the abnormal transmission of sounds from the lungs or bronchi. Bronchophony is a type of pectoriloquy.It is a general medical sign detected by auscultation.-Technique:...
and 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...
. In bronchophony, the physician often asks the patient to say “ninety-nine” or "baseball" while listening over the lung fields: the sound will be louder in areas where consolidation is present.
History
The choice of "ninety-nine" is the unfortunate result of a literal translation. The test was originally described by a German physician who used the phrase "neun und neunzig" (ˈnɔʏnʊntˈnɔʏntsɪç), which he chose because it contains diphthongDiphthong
A diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...
s, calculated to cause maximum vibration of the chest. The translation, "ninety-nine", has fewer vowels and is less effective in evoking the phenomenon. Better phrases in English include "toy boat”, "Scooby Doo", and “blue balloons".