Lung Sound Terminology

Kim, Woo Chul; Kim, Sung Kyu; Kim, Ki Ho

doi:1985.32.4.240

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 32(4); 1985 > Article

Original Article

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 1985;32(4):240-244.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1985.32.4.240 Published online December 1, 1985.

Lung Sound Terminology

Woo Chul Kim, Sung Kyu Kim, Ki Ho Kim

Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

폐청진소견 기술에 관한 연구 -국내문헌의 증례보고를 중심으로-

김우철, 김성규, 김기호

Abstract

Accurate description of lung sound is important in medical records. Terminology remains inexact, however, and different physicians use different terms to describe similar sounds. Lung sounds described in literatures fall into three general categories: breath sounds, discontinuous adventitious sounds and continuous adventitious sounds. We tried to review which words are preferred at present and how much disparity in nomenclature exists. We reviewed 323 case reports which described lung sounds among the total 1,352 reports in three major journals from 1950 through 1985. Twenty different discontinuous sounds were mentioned frequently; rales 44 times and moist rales 6 times. Thirteen different continuous sound were described less often; rhonchi 6 times, wheeze 4 times and stridor 1 time. Usage of various terms according to the years were reviewed. We also confirmed that English-Korean medical dictionaries make one confused in usage of correct medical terminology.