title: [Physical examination--percussion of the thorax].
abstract: Percussion of the chest cannot detect small lesions (< 3 cm in diameter) and lesions situated deep in the lung (5-7 cm away from the outside of the thoracic wall). The value of percussion as a test to detect a pathological pulmonary situation in comparison with chest radiography is evaluated in only a few studies. Chest percussion appears to be of limited value; especially the sensitivity is very low. Moreover, the inter- and intra-observer errors are high. The value of percussion to detect cardiomegaly is only investigated in one recent study in a selected patient population. In this study the predictive values as well as the reproducibility appear to be moderate.
authors.affiliation: Universitair Longcentrum Dekkerswald/Academisch Ziekenhuis Nijmegen, Groesbeek.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Vos
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: van Herwaarden
mesh_terms: D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D015588:Observer Variation; D010474:Percussion / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013909:Thorax