What does the spleen sound like on percussion?

Percussion over dense organ tissues, like the spleen or the liver, produces a dull sound… Therefore, the contrast between dullness versus tympany allows for determination of the margins of these organs and thus help in detection of conditions like hepatomegaly or splenomegaly.

What is the splenic percussion sign?

Splenic Percussion Sign (Castell’s Sign): Percuss the most inferior interspace on the left anterior axillary line (Castell’s Point). This is usually tympanic. Ask patient to breath deeply. Remains tympanic on inspiration: Splenic Percussion Sign negative: splenomegaly less likely.

Is spleen tympany or dull?

Tympany versus dullness Tympany is typically heard over air-filled structures such as the small intestine and the large intestine. Dullness is typically heard over fluid or solid organs such as the liver or spleen, which can be used to determine the margins of the liver and spleen.

What sound should you hear when percussing the abdomen?

Lightly percuss all four quadrants of your patient’s abdomen. You’ll hear dull sounds over solid structures (such as the liver) and fluid-filled structures (such as a full bladder). Air-filled areas (such as the stomach) produce tympany.

How do you tell if you have an enlarged spleen?

Symptoms

Pain or fullness in the left upper belly that can spread to the left shoulder.
A feeling of fullness without eating or after eating a small amount because the spleen is pressing on your stomach.
Low red blood cells (anemia)
Frequent infections.
Bleeding easily.

What does splenomegaly feel like?

An enlarged spleen typically causes no signs or symptoms, but sometimes it causes: Pain or fullness in the left upper belly that can spread to the left shoulder. A feeling of fullness without eating or after eating a small amount because the spleen is pressing on your stomach. Low red blood cells (anemia)

How would you describe splenomegaly?

Splenomegaly is defined as enlargement of the spleen, measured by size or weight.

What is tympanic percussion sounds?

Tympanic sounds are hollow, high, drumlike sounds. Tympany is normally heard over the stomach, but is not a normal chest sound. Tympanic sounds heard over the chest indicate excessive air in the chest, such as may occur with pneumothorax.

When is spleen palpable?

The spleen is not normally palpable except in slender young adults. When the spleen can be felt below the left costal margin, at rest or on inspiration, splenic enlargement should be assumed and the explanation sought.

What are normal percussion sounds?

When performing percussion, tympany is normally heard over fluid-filled organs such as the stomach, bladder, and bowels. The combination of air and fluid creates a drum-like sound. Dullness is the normal sound heard when percussing tissues that are dense in consistency, such as the liver.

What is percussion tympanic note?

How is the excursion of the enlarged spleen detected?

These are all aimed at detecting the excursion of the enlarged spleen below the left lower margin of the ribcage during expiration. Percussion is also of help in this examination, including Nixon’s and Castell’s techniques, and percussion of Traube’s semilunar space which is found to be shifted to the right side by an enlarged spleen.

What does splenic percussion sign mean?

Splenic Percussion Sign ( Castell’s Sign ): Percuss the most inferior interspace on the left anterior axillary line ( Castell’s Point ). This is usually tympanic. Ask patient to breath deeply.

What is the purpose of palpation and percussion of the spleen?

The purpose of both palpation and percussion of the spleen is to look for splenic enlargement. Evaluation of splenomegaly is notoriously difficult and embarrassingly easy to miss when present. In part this is because the spleen enlarges in the inferior anteromedial direction, sometimes as far as the RLQ. Palpation During the Spleen Exam

How do you percuss a patient with a normal spleen?

Percuss the left axilla from above downwards along the midaxiilary line (keeping the patient s left hand on his head to expose the axilla). Percussion in the lowest intercostal space in the anterior axillary (8th or 9th) produces a resonant note if the spleen is normal in size.