Bruit is the term for the unusual sound that blood makes when it rushes past an obstruction (called turbulent flow) in an artery

Artery

Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. This blood is normally oxygenated, exceptions made for the pulmonary and umbilical arteries....

 when the sound is auscultated

Auscultation

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

 with the bell portion of 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...

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The term "bruit" simply refers to the sound. A related term is "vascular murmur", which should not be confused with a heart murmur

Heart murmur

Murmurs are extra heart sounds that are produced as a result of turbulent blood flow that is sufficient to produce audible noise. Most murmurs can only be heard with the assistance of a stethoscope ....

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The location of the stethoscope when the sound is observed can affect the diagnosis.

Associated conditions

• Anemia
• Atherosclerosis
  Atherosclerosis
  Atherosclerosis is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as a result of the accumulation of fatty materials such as cholesterol...
  
  
• Risk of stroke
  Stroke
  A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
  
  
• Renal artery stenosis
  Renal artery stenosis
  Renal artery stenosis is the narrowing of the renal artery, most often caused by atherosclerosis or fibromuscular dysplasia. This narrowing of the renal artery can impede blood flow to the target kidney...
  
  
• Carotid artery stenosis
  Carotid artery stenosis
  Carotid stenosis is a narrowing or constriction of the inner surface of the carotid artery, usually caused by atherosclerosis .-Signs and symptoms:...
  
  
• Aortic aneurysm
  Aortic aneurysm
  An aortic aneurysm is a general term for any swelling of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal, usually representing an underlying weakness in the wall of the aorta at that location...
  
  
• Tinnitus
  Tinnitus
  Tinnitus |ringing]]") is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound.Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom that can result from a wide range of underlying causes: abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal for even the briefest period , ear...
  
   - Objective tinnitus may sometimes be due to this condition.
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
  Polymyalgia rheumatica
  Polymyalgia rheumatica , abbreviated as PMR, is a syndrome with pain or stiffness, usually in the neck, shoulders, and hips. The pain can be very sudden, or can occur gradually over a period of time...
  
  
• Giant cell arteritis
• Pagets disease
• Arteriovenous malformation
  Arteriovenous malformation
  Arteriovenous malformation or AVM is an abnormal connection between veins and arteries, usually congenital. This pathology is widely known because of its occurrence in the central nervous system, but can appear in any location. An arteriovenous malformation is a vascular anomaly. It is a...
  
  
• Goitre
  Goitre
  A goitre or goiter , is a swelling in the thyroid gland, which can lead to a swelling of the neck or larynx...
  
   - notably in hyperthyroidism
  Hyperthyroidism
  Hyperthyroidism is the term for overactive tissue within the thyroid gland causing an overproduction of thyroid hormones . Hyperthyroidism is thus a cause of thyrotoxicosis, the clinical condition of increased thyroid hormones in the blood. Hyperthyroidism and thyrotoxicosis are not synonymous...
  
  
• Coarctation of the aorta
  Aorta
  The aorta is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it branches off into two smaller arteries...
  
  
• Arteriovenous (AV) fistula
  Arteriovenous fistula
  An arteriovenous fistula is an abnormal connection or passageway between an artery and a vein. It may be congenital, surgically created for hemodialysis treatments, or acquired due to pathologic process, such as trauma or erosion of an arterial aneurysm....
  
  , a structure surgically created to provide access to the vascular system for hemodialysis
  Hemodialysis
  In medicine, hemodialysis is a method for removing waste products such as creatinine and urea, as well as free water from the blood when the kidneys are in renal failure. Hemodialysis is one of three renal replacement therapies .Hemodialysis can be an outpatient or inpatient therapy...
  
  
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
  Hepatocellular carcinoma
  Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer. Most cases of HCC are secondary to either a viral hepatitide infection or cirrhosis .Compared to other cancers, HCC is quite a rare tumor in the United States...
  
  

External links

• American Heart Organization