Question

What is egophony and how can it be assessed?

1) Asking the patient to repeat the letter 'A' while listening over the chest wall
2) Asking the patient to repeat the letter 'E' while listening over the chest wall
3) Assessing the quality of breath sounds using a stethoscope
4) Observing the patient's use of accessory muscles during respiration

Answer 1

Option 2). Egophony is assessed by asking the patient to repeat the letter 'E' while listening over the chest wall. This technique helps in identifying certain lung pathologies, such as consolidation due to pneumonia.

Step-by-step explanation:

A clinical finding known as "egophony" is when the patient's voice sounds different when auscultating over the chest wall. Asking the patient to repeat a certain letter while using a stethoscope to listen is how it is evaluated. In particular, the typical sound of the letter "E" is changed to a nasal or bleating quality when the patient says it, which is a good indicator of egophony.

Consequently, choice 2 is the right answer to the question. Egophony can be assessed by asking the patient to repeat the letter "E" while listening over the chest wall. This method aids in the diagnosis of several lung diseases, such as consolidation brought on by pneumonia.