Breath sounds

Overview
Breath sounds refer to the specific sounds identified through auscultation of the respiratory system with a stethoscope.

In this context, "adventitious" refers to sounds heard apart from the normal sounds of inspiration and expiration.

A new technology, vibration response imaging, produces dynamic images of the lungs by measuring the vibration energy generated in lungs is under investigation. It is non-invasive and radiation-free.

Types of adventitious breath sounds

 * Rales (or "Crackles")
 * Wheeze and stridor
 * Friction rub
 * Rhonchi -- indicative of bronchitis
 * inspiratory gasp- indicative of whooping cough
 * crepitations
 * Hamman's sign (or Mediastinal crunch) -- indicative of pneumomediastinum

Differential Diagnosis of Decreased Breath Sounds
In alphabetical order

Decreased Airflow through Respiratory Tree

 * Abdominal, pleuritic, chest wall pain
 * Aspirated foreign body
 * Asthma
 * Atelectasis
 * Bronchiectasis
 * Bronchiolitis
 * Bronchitis
 * Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
 * Croup
 * Diaphragmatic paralysis
 * Emphysema
 * Epiglottitis
 * Goiter
 * Increased girth of abdomen
 * Kyphosis
 * Pleurisy
 * Pulmonary Edema
 * Pulmonary Fibrosis
 * Sarcoidosis
 * Scoliosis

Obstructed Transmission of Sound

 * Alveoloar hemorrhage
 * Chylothorax
 * Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia
 * Cystic Fibrosis
 * Hemothorax
 * Large pulmonary embolism
 * Obesity
 * Pleural Effusion
 * Pleural thickening
 * Pneumonectomy
 * Pneumothorax
 * Psychogenic
 * Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
 * Vocal cord dyskinesia
 * Vocal cord paralysis