Veterinary Clinical Medicine-I (General and Systemic)

HEART-PERCUSSION

• Percussion is carried out starting from top to bottom along the edge of the triceps muscle, then in caudoventral, caudal and caudo-dorsal directions in order to establish an area of dullness. In cattle, only the apex lies caudal to the part covered by the shoulder muscles, because the apex is separated from the chest wall by the thin ventral portions of the ling.
• Percussion in the ventral part of the thoracic lung percussion field normally gives only a relative cardiac dullness and not absolute dullness. On the left side of the healthy cattle, this area is the size of the palm of the hand, while on the right side it is smaller and indistrinct. In bulls and far animals the heart field is quite difficult to percuss. An enlarged heart field is found.