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.

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

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References in periodicals archive ?

Shifting dullness was elicited and the flanks were dull.

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction: The massive abdomen and the red herring

Physical examination revealed swollen lymph nodes in the neck, axillary fossae and inguinal grooves, palpable liver and spleen, shifting dullness and edema.

Successful Treatment with Rituximab in a Patient with Castleman's Disease Complicated by Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Severe Autoimmune Thrombocytopenia

Per abdomen examination revealed distended abdomen with hepatomegaly-2 cm below costal margin and liver span of 9 cm, splenomegaly 1 cm below costal margin and mild ascites with presence of shifting dullness.