Patient's question:
Because of the recent weather changes, especially with it being hot in the morning and cold in the afternoon, my child accidentally caught a cold. I took him to the doctor, and he said it might get better in a couple of days. But when the doctor listened to his lungs, he said it was pneumonia. Can pneumonia be detected through percussion?Doctor's answer:
For pneumonia or bronchitis, a preliminary diagnosis can be made by listening to the lungs with a stethoscope, checking for breath sounds, dry or wet rales, etc. For lung percussion, if there is an increase in breath sounds and fixed wet rales, the blood test results can be used to determine whether it is a viral or bacterial infection, followed by appropriate medication. As for chest X-rays or pulmonary CT scans, due to their radiation exposure, they should be used sparingly or not at all unless the treatment effect is not clear. Wishing the patient a speedy recovery and good health!