Hyperresonant Thoracic Percussion

MANUAL OF CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS

Hyperresonant thoracic percussion refers to an abnormally resonant sound obtained when percussing the chest. This finding suggests the presence of excess air in the pleural space or the lung parenchyma, which may indicate various pulmonary pathologies. Hyperresonance can be a manifestation of conditions leading to pulmonary hyperinflation or the presence of free air in the pleural cavity.

Pathology	Clinical Symptoms and Signs	Suspected Diagnosis	Confirmatory Diagnosis
Emphysema	Progressive dyspnoea, chronic cough, decreased breath sounds, barrel chest	Smoking history, physical examination, hyperresonance on percussion	Chest X-ray, chest computed tomography (CT), spirometry
Large Pulmonary Bullae	Dyspnoea, chest pain, decreased breath sounds in the affected area	Medical history, physical examination, localized hyperresonance	Chest X-ray, chest CT
Pneumothorax	Sudden chest pain, dyspnoea, decreased or absent breath sounds on the affected side	Medical history, physical examination, hyperresonance on percussion on the affected side	Chest X-ray, chest CT