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Which sound should you expect to hear when you percuss the liver during a complete physical assessment?

  • A

    Resonance

  • B

    Flatness

  • C

    Tympany

  • D

    Dullness

Correct Response: D

The five types of sounds that are elicited during percussion are flatness, resonance, hyperresonance, tympany and dullness. Dullness is heard when percussion is done over a solid organ like the liver and spleen.

Flatness is normally assessed over muscles and bones; resonance is a hollow sound that is heard, for example, over the air filled lungs; and hyperresonance, which is a booming sound that is heard over abnormal lung tissue, as occurs among clients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and, lastly, tympany is heard over the stomach with air as a drum like sound.