Bronchophony
Encyclopedia
Bronchophony, also known as bronchiloquy, is the abnormal transmission of sounds from the lung
s or bronchi
. Bronchophony is a type of pectoriloquy
.
It is a general medical sign
detected by auscultation
.
Often, the patient does not have to speak for the physician to hear signs of bronchophony. Rather, the normal breath sounds are increased in loudness - referred to by doctors as "increased breath sounds" - over the affected area of the lungs is indicative.
- or by fluid in the alveoli, which may indicate pneumonia
. However, it may also have benign causes, such as wide bronchii. As such, it usually an indication for further investigation rather than the main basis of a diagnosis.
, whispered pectoriloquy
, rales
, rhonchi
or wheezing. Percussion
is also often used to determine diseases of the chest.
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
s or bronchi
Bronchus
A bronchus is a passage of airway in the respiratory tract that conducts air into the lungs. The bronchus branches into smaller tubes, which in turn become bronchioles....
. Bronchophony is a type of pectoriloquy
Pectoriloquy
Pectoriloquy refers to phenomenon occurring when auscultating the lungs, where the resonance is increased.Types include egophony and bronchophony....
.
It is a general medical sign
Medical sign
A medical sign is an objective indication of some medical fact or characteristic that may be detected by a physician during a physical examination of a patient....
detected by auscultation
Auscultation
Auscultation is the term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope...
.
Technique
The patient is requested to repeat a word several times while the physician auscultates symmetrical areas of each lung. The numbers "ninety-nine" or "sixty-six" are traditionally mentioned.Interpretation
Normally, the sound of the patient's voice becomes less distinct as the auscultation moves peripherally; bronchophony is the phenomenon of the patient's voice remaining loud at the periphery of the lungs or sounding louder than usual over a distinct area of consolidation, such as in pneumonia. This is a valuable tool in physical diagnosis used by medical personnel when auscultating the chest.Often, the patient does not have to speak for the physician to hear signs of bronchophony. Rather, the normal breath sounds are increased in loudness - referred to by doctors as "increased breath sounds" - over the affected area of the lungs is indicative.
Causes
Bronchophony may be caused by a solidification of lung tissue around the bronchii - which may indicate lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
- or by fluid in the alveoli, which may indicate pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. However, it may also have benign causes, such as wide bronchii. As such, it usually an indication for further investigation rather than the main basis of a diagnosis.
Other observations
Other tools used in auscultation include listening for egophonyEgophony
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
Rhonchi
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:...
or wheezing. 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 also often used to determine diseases of the chest.