What is the medical term for 'wet' sounding lungs?

Medical Terminology for "Wet" Sounding Lungs

The medical term for "wet" sounding lungs is "crackles" (also known as "rales"), which describes discontinuous adventitious lung sounds heard during auscultation that indicate the presence of fluid in the airways or alveoli.

Types of Wet Lung Sounds

Wet lung sounds can be categorized based on their acoustic characteristics:

Crackles (Rales)

• Fine crackles: High-pitched, short, discontinuous sounds heard during late inspiration

  • Described as similar to the sound of hair being rubbed between fingers near the ear
  • Associated with alveolar fluid or interstitial processes
  • Common in pulmonary edema, interstitial lung disease, and pneumonia 1

• Coarse crackles: Lower-pitched, longer duration sounds heard during early to mid-inspiration

  • Described as "bubbling" sounds
  • Associated with fluid in larger airways
  • Common in bronchiectasis, pulmonary edema, and pneumonia 1

Rhonchi

• Low-pitched continuous sounds caused by secretions in larger airways
• Often clear or change after coughing
• Associated with conditions causing mucous hypersecretion that partially obstructs airways 2

Clinical Significance

The presence of wet lung sounds provides important diagnostic information:

• Left heart backward failure: Fine rales are usually audible over the lung fields in patients with pulmonary congestion/edema 1

• Chronic wet cough: In children, persistent wet cough may indicate protracted bacterial bronchitis or other underlying respiratory conditions 1

• Pneumonia: Crackles are often present in patients with pneumonia, though their absence does not exclude the diagnosis 1

• Bronchiectasis: Coarse crackles may be present due to abnormal dilation of bronchi with secretion accumulation 2

Distinguishing Features

It's important to note that:

1. Crackles can be differentiated from other respiratory sounds by their discontinuous nature
2. They may change location or disappear after coughing, particularly rhonchi 2
3. The timing, quality, and anatomic distribution of crackles can help distinguish pathologic from non-pathologic sounds 3
4. Fine crackles correlate with pathologic severity in interstitial lung diseases 4

Common Pitfalls in Interpretation

• Terminology is not well standardized among physicians, with terms like "crackles" and "rales" often used interchangeably 5
• The term "rhonchi" is sometimes incorrectly used to describe both continuous and discontinuous adventitious lung sounds 5
• Normal individuals may have fine crackles at the lung bases during deep inspiration from residual volume, which should not be considered pathologic 3
• The absence of crackles does not exclude significant pulmonary disease, particularly in complicated conditions 6

Understanding the proper terminology and characteristics of wet lung sounds is essential for accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of respiratory conditions.