Rhonchi, sometimes also called low-pitched wheezes or coarse crackles, are nonrepetitive, nonmusical, low-pitched sounds frequently produced during early inspiration and expiration that usually are a sign of turbulent airflow through secretions in large airways.
Expiratory rhonchi implies obstruction to intrathoracic airways. Inspiratory rhonchi in general, implies large airway obstruction. Asthmatics can also have inspiratory rhonchi while it is uncommon in COPD. Loud audible inspiratory rhonchi is called a stridor .
Rhonchi can occur during exhalation or exhalation and inhalation, but not inhalation alone. They happen due to the movement of fluid and other secretions in the large airways. This can result from conditions such as asthma and viral infections in the upper respiratory system.
Rhonchi occur when there are secretions or obstruction in the larger airways. These breath sounds are associated with conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, or cystic fibrosis.
Rhonchi are musical low-pitched sounds similar to snores, usually indicating secretions in the airway, and are often cleared by coughing1.
The next thing to note is the pitch: wheezes and fine crackles are high pitched, whereas rhonchi and coarse crackles are low pitched. Crackles are generated by small airways snapping open on inspiration.
Rhonchi resemble low-pitched wheezes. They are rumbling, coarse sounds like a snore during inspiration or exploration, and continuous. It may clear with coughing. Stridor is a high-pitched musical sound heard on inspiration resembling wheezing.
Expiratory crackles
Crackles are predominantly inspiratory in nature, but can also occur during expiration. It has been described in COPD, bronchiectasis, and IPF.
The expiratory sound is heard during the greater part of expiration, whereas the inspiratory sound stops abruptly at the height of inspiration, with a pause before the sound of expiration is heard.
Rales can also be described as moist, dry, fine, and coarse. Rhonchi are coarse rattling respiratory sounds, usually caused by secretions in bronchial airways.
This is the sound of rhonchi when auscultating breath or lung sounds. It is caused by thick secretions in large airways as air passes by. Seen often in patients with COPD, bronchiectasis, pneumonia.
COPD causes the small airways to narrow, resulting in whistling sounds as air attempts to travel through the narrow passages during exhalation. When wheezing is present in the lungs, it manifests as a high pitched whistling sound during expiration.
Rhonchi. These low-pitched wheezing sounds sound like snoring and usually happen when you breathe out. They can be a sign that your bronchial tubes (the tubes that connect your trachea to your lungs) are thickening because of mucus.
Wheezes are musical high-pitched sounds associated with airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Rhonchi are musical low-pitched sounds similar to snores, usually indicating secretions in the airway, and are often cleared by coughing1.
There are three types of abnormal bronchial breath sounds: tubular, cavernous, and amphoric. Other abnormal breath sounds include rales, rhonchi, stridor, and wheezing. These can sometimes indicate an underlying respiratory issue that requires attention.
Rhonchi are low-pitched wheezes or snore-like sounds that can be heard with a stethoscope. Their presence means an obstruction or an increased amount of secretions is in the airways. Rhonchi can be caused by pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, or COPD.
Wheezing occurs during both inspiration and expiration as the airway caliber becomes increasingly smaller. Wheezing may become confused with stridor, which is a high-pitched musical or "crowing" sound localized in the larynx or trachea.
Bibasilar crackles are a crackling or bubbling sound that doctors may hear in the lungs during a physical examination. They can indicate mucus or fluid in the base of the lungs, possibly due to pneumonia or heart failure.
[5] By contrast, a pleural friction rub usually has two sounds, one heard on inspiration and the second on expiration. [3] Coarse crackles and rhonchi may also be mistaken for a pleural friction rub, but coughing will alter both of these sounds.
Your doctor will listen to your lungs with a stethoscope. If you have pneumonia, your lungs may make crackling, bubbling, and rumbling sounds when you inhale.
These popping sounds are created when air is forced through airways that have been narrowed by mucus, pus or other fluids. Rales are frequently associated with inflamed or infected small bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli. Crackles and rales mean the same thing.