palpation

1. Examination with the hands, feeling for organs, masses, or infiltration of a part of the body, feeling the heart or pulse beat, vibrations in the chest, etc. 2. Touching, feeling, or perceiving by the sense of touch. [L. palpatio, fr. palpo, pp. -atus, to touch, stroke]

- bimanual p. use of both hands to feel organs or masses, especially in the abdomen or pelvis.

- light-touch p. a method of determining the outlines of organs or masses by lightly palpating the surface with the tip of a finger.

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pal·pa·tion pal-'pā-shən n

1) an act of touching or feeling

2) physical examination in medical diagnosis by pressure of the hand or fingers to the surface of the body esp. to determine the condition (as of size or consistency) of an underlying part or organ <\palpation of the liver> <\palpation of cervical lymph glands> compare INSPECTION

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n.

the process of examining part of the body by careful feeling with the hands and fingertips. Using palpation it is possible, in many cases, to distinguish between swellings that are solid and those that are cystic (see fluctuation). Palpation is also used to discover the presence of a fetus in the uterus (see ballottement).

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pal·pa·tion (pal-paґshən) [L. palpatio] the act of feeling with the hand; the application of the fingers with light pressure to the surface of the body for the purpose of determining the consistency of the parts beneath in physical diagnosis.