shifting dullness


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Related to shifting dullness: Puddle sign, fluid wave, fluid thrill

shift·ing dull·ness

a sign of free peritoneal fluid wherein the dullness of percussion shifts, generally from one side to the other, as the patient is turned from side to side.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

shifting dullness

A mobile area of decreased resonance found during percussion of a body part as the body changes position. The finding suggests that fluid is contained within a body cavity and that it moves with gravity.
See also: dullness
Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners
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