Which percussion finding would indicate the affected area is altered?

• A. Hyperresonant percussion
• B. Dull/flat percussion over affected area
• C. Normal percussion
• D. Tympanic percussion

Answer: (B)

Percussion findings reflect how dense the underlying tissue is. Normal lungs are resonant because they’re air-filled. When the area is altered by fluid, solid tissue, or collapsed air spaces, the sound becomes dull or flat. Dull/flat percussion over the affected area indicates increased density and points to changes like consolidation, pleural effusion, or atelectasis in that region. In contrast, hyperresonant percussion suggests excess air (pneumothorax or emphysema), normal percussion means no significant density change, and tympanic percussion is a very hollow sound usually linked to gas-filled structures. So, dull/flat percussion over the affected area best signals an alteration in that region.