Bronchophony is the abnormal transmission of sounds from the

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...

s or

bronchi A bronchus is a passage or airway in the lower respiratory tract that conducts air into the lungs. The first or primary bronchi pronounced (BRAN-KAI) to branch from the trachea at the carina are the right main bronchus and the left main bronchus. ...

. Bronchophony is a type of

pectoriloquy Pectoriloquy is the increased resonance of the voice through the lung structures, so that it is clearly comprehensible using a stethoscope on the chest. It usually indicates consolidation of the underlying lung parenchyma. Types include egophony ...

. It is a general medical

sign A sign is an object, quality, event, or entity whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. A natural sign bears a causal relation to its object—for instance, thunder is a sign of storm, or me ...

detected by

auscultation Auscultation (based on the Latin verb ''auscultare'' "to listen") is listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope. Auscultation is performed for the purposes of examining the circulatory and respiratory systems (hea ...

Technique

The patient is requested to repeat a word several times while the provider auscultates symmetrical areas of each lung. The numbers "ninety-nine" or "sixty-six" are traditionally mentioned. The choice of "ninety-nine" is the result of a literal translation. The test was originally described by a German physician who used the phrase "neun und neunzig" (pronounced �nɔʏnʊntˈnɔʏntsɪç, which he found would 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".

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 torso. Usually spoken sounds of a whispered volume by the patient would not be heard by the clinici ...

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 provider 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 bronchi – which may indicate

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

– or by fluid in the

alveoli Alveolus (; pl. alveoli, adj. alveolar) is a general anatomical term for a concave cavity or pit. Uses in anatomy and zoology * Pulmonary alveolus, an air sac in the lungs ** Alveolar cell or pneumocyte ** Alveolar duct ** Alveolar macrophage * ...

, which may indicate

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. However, it may also have benign causes, such as wide bronchi. As such, it is usually an indication for further investigation rather than the main basis of a diagnosis.

Other observations

Other tools used in auscultation include listening for

egophony Egophony (British English, aegophony) 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 sound across fluid, such as in ...

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 torso. Usually spoken sounds of a whispered volume by the patient would not be heard by the clinici ...

crackles Crackles 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 usually heard only with a stethoscope ("on auscultation"). Pulmonary crackles are a ...

rhonchi Respiratory sounds, also known as lung sounds or breath sounds, refer to the specific sounds generated by the movement of air through the respiratory system. These may be easily audible or identified through auscultation of the respiratory system ...

wheezing A wheeze is a continuous, coarse, whistling sound produced in the respiratory airways during breathing. For wheezes to occur, some part of the respiratory tree must be narrowed or obstructed (for example narrowing of the lower respiratory tract ...

Percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

is also often used to determine diseases of the chest.

References

External links

{{Circulatory and respiratory system symptoms and signs Symptoms and signs: Respiratory system