A diagnostic procedure that consists in shaking the body so as to elicit a splashing sound in a cavity containing both gas and fluid. [L. sucussio, fr. suc-cutio (subc-), pp. -cussus, to shake up, fr. quatio, to shake]
- hippocratic s. a splashing noise produced by shaking the body when there is gas or air and fluid in the stomach or intestine, or free in the peritoneum, thorax, and, rarely, the pericardium.
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suc·cus·sion sə-'kəsh-ən n the action or process of shaking or the condition of being shaken esp. with violence:
a) a shaking of the body to ascertain if fluid is present in a cavity and esp. in the thorax
b) the splashing sound made by succussion
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n.
a splashing noise heard when a patient who has a large quantity of fluid in a body cavity, such as the pleural cavity, moves suddenly or is deliberately shaken.
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suc·cus·sion (sə-kushґən) [L. succussio a shaking from beneath, earthquake] 1. the shaking of the body during an examination; a splashing sound is indicative of the presence of fluid and air in a body cavity. 2. the vigorous shaking of a diluted homeopathic preparation in order to activate the medicinal substance.Medical dictionary. 2011.