The Spleen Percussion Sign
Authors: DONALD O. CASTELL
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1967)

Diagnosis and Treatment1 December 1967The Spleen Percussion SignA Useful Diagnostic TechniqueDONALD O. CASTELLDONALD O. CASTELLSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-67-6-1265 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptPercussion over the region of the spleen is generally considered to be of limited value for detecting enlargement and, therefore, is not frequently employed as a diagnostic tool. During recent experience with patients having infectious mononucleosis percussion of the spleen has been used to avoid the risk of splenic rupture which may accompany vigorous palpation. It has become apparent that splenic percussion is quite useful in estimating slight to moderate degrees of splenomegaly. On the basis of this experience percussion over the spleen has been performed routinely during physical examination in all patients. Using the "spleen percussion sign" as described...References1. HOLZBACHCLARKSHIPLEYKENTLINDSAY RTRERAWBGE: Evaluation of spleen size by radioactive scanning. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 60: 902, 1962. MedlineGoogle Scholar2. HERMANNCUSTER GRP: Splenic scintiscans with merisoprol Hg197. JAMA 195: 1015, 1966. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. GRAY H: The spleen, in Anatomy of the Human Body, edited by Goss, G. M. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, 1954, pp. 796-800. Google Scholar4. MACLOED J: Alimentary and genito-urinary systems, in Clinical Examination, edited by FRENCH, E. B. The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1964, pp. 214-253. Google Scholar5. DEGOWIN EL: The abdomen, in Bedside Diagnostic Examination. The Macmillan Co., New York, 1965. Google Scholar6. RATNOFFPATEK ODAJ: Natural history of Laennec's cirrhosis of the liver, an analysis of 386 cases. Medicine (Balt.) 21: 207, 1942. CrossrefGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the Gastroenterology Branch, Medical Service , U. S. Naval Hospital, Great Lakes, Ill.Requests for reprints should be addressed to D. O. Castell, M.D., Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, 170 Morton St., Boston, Mass. 02130. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byAbdominal examination: Invaluable clinical findings and their interpretationsHet oriënterend buikonderzoekComparing Physical Examination With Sonographic Versions of the Same Examination Techniques for SplenomegalyPalpation and Percussion of the AbdomenPoint-of-care ultrasonography improves the diagnosis of splenomegaly in hospitalized patients6 BuikProgressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis: A Rare Cause of Cirrhosis in Young Adult PatientsClinical Problem Solving: Does This Patient Have Encephalopathy?Palpation and Percussion of the AbdomenSplenomegalyBuikThe AbdomenThe AbdomenPalpation and Percussion of the AbdomenThe liver has a body?A Cook's tourThe Clinical Significance of the SpleenPercussion and physical diagnosis: Separating myth from scienceExaminer dependence on physical diagnostic tests for the detection of splenomegalyDo attending physicians really percuss?Splenic enlargement and Traube's space: How useful is percussion?Abnormalities of the spleen and liver in patients with hemophiliaDiagnosticsHypersplenism in Wilson's disease 1 December 1967Volume 67, Issue 6Page: 1265-1267KeywordsMedical servicesSpleenSplenomegaly ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 December 1967 PDF downloadLoading ...