percussion /pərkush″ən/ [L, percutere, to strike hard] , 1. a technique in physical examination of tapping the body with the fingertips or fist to evaluate the size, borders, and consistency of some of the internal organs and to discover the presence of and evaluate the amount of fluid in a body cavity. Immediate or direct percussion is percussion performed by striking the fingers directly on the body surface. Indirect, mediate, or finger percussion involves striking a finger of one hand on a finger of the other hand (normally the second phalanx of the third digit) as it is placed over the organ. See also percussor, pleximeter. 2. See cupping and vibrating.
