In gastroenterology, the puddle sign is a physical examination maneuver that can be used to detect the presence of ascites. It is useful for detecting small amounts of ascites—as small as 120 mL; shifting dullness and bulging flanks typically require 500 mL.[1]
The steps are outlined as follows:[2]
- Patient lies prone for 5 minutes
- Patient then rises onto elbows and knees
- Apply stethoscope diaphragm to most dependent part of the abdomen
- Examiner repeatedly flicks near flank with finger. Continue to flick at same spot on abdomen
- Move stethoscope across abdomen away from examiner
- Sound loudness increases at farther edge of puddle
- Sound transmission does not change when patient sits
In relation to auscultatory percussion, the puddle sign is more specific, but less sensitive.
| This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Metasyntactic variable, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. |