tactile fremitus

Palpable vibrations transmitted through the bronchopulmonary tree to the chest wall when the patient speaks. Ask the patient to say 'ninety-nine' or 'one-one-one'. Etiology: - obstructed bronchus - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - pleural effusion - pulmonary fibrosis - pleural thickening - pneumothorax - infiltrating tumor - a thick chest wall - tactile fremitus is increased when transmission of sound is increased as occurs in lobar pneumonia * tactile fremitus is diminished when the voice is soft or when transmission of vibrations from the larynx to the surface of the surface of the upper back is impeded

References

Guide to Physical Examination & History Taking, 6th edition, Bates B, JB Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1995, pg 239