Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

History of bone acoustic in fracture diagnosis: crepitus in antiquity; bone percussion with Auenbrugger; bone auscultation with Laennec and Lisfranc; monitoring cementless hip arthroplasty fixation with acoustic and sensor

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Orthopaedics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The problems posed by trauma, fractures, and dislocations have not changed in human history. The traumas of prehistoric persons were similar to those observed by Imhotep, Hippocrates, and Galen or, more recently, by Ambroise Paré, Watson Jones, and Böhler. And the current road traumas are probably no more severe than those caused by mammoths, the construction of the pyramids, or middle age wars. Diagnostic methods have evolved, and the advent of radiography has revolutionized the diagnosis of traumatology. Before discovering radiography, another physical phenomenon made it possible to help in the diagnosis of fractures. This physical phenomenon is acoustic.

Methods

Curiously, no history of acoustics in fracture diagnosis has been published so far. This article proposes briefly reviewing the history and evolution of acoustics in orthopaedic surgery from antiquity to the present day.

Results

Before the invention of radiography by Conrad Roentgen in 1895, the surgeons described crepitus as the most critical sign of fractures in antiquity. Surgeons remarked during the eighteenth and nineteenth century that bone was a good sound-conductor. Physicians improved first the diagnosis of fractures by using percussion established by Auenbrugger in 1755. The principle of chest mediate auscultation with a stethoscope was described by Laennec in 1818. Lisfranc used the stethoscope to amplify the crepitus sound of fractures. Surgeons also developed association of percussion and auscultation with a stethoscope to diagnose and reduce fracture. Recently, acoustic emission technology has seen a recent increase in applications to prevent femur fractures during cementless fixation.

Conclusion

The acoustic properties of bones were known to a prehistoric person who knew how to make flutes from animal or human bones. Surgeons used them for the diagnosis of fractures before radiography. Acoustic properties of bones currently remain a subject of research for the prevention of fractures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Historical paper

Code availability

None

References

  1. Lo GH, Strayhorn MT, Driban JB, Price LL, Eaton CB, Mcalindon TE (2018) Subjective crepitus as a risk factor for incident symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: data from the osteoarthritis initiative. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 70(1):53–60. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.23246

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Breasted JH (1930) The Edwin Smith surgical papyrus: published in facsimile and hieroglyphic transliteration with translation and commentary in two volumes. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  3. Dobosi VT (1985) Jewelry, musical instruments and exotic objects from the Hungarian Palaeolithic. Folia Archaeologica 36:7–29

    Google Scholar 

  4. Loukas M, Lanteri A, Ferrauiola J, Tubbs RS, Maharaja G, Shoja MM, Yadav A, Rao VC (2010) Anatomy in ancient India: a focus on the Susruta Samhita. J Anat 217(6):646–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2010.01294.x

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Hippocrates. (1984) On fractures. Withington ET, trans. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

  6. Drabkin Ie. (1951) Soranus and his system of medicine. Bull Hist Med. 25(6):503–18.Mcgaw W H. Osseosonometry

  7. Simth JJ (1962) The inventum novum of Joseph Leopold Auenbrugger. Bull N Y Acad Med 38(10):691–701

    Google Scholar 

  8. Juhn B (1961) Auenbrugger’s sign. Wien Med Wochenschr 111:259

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Laënnec RTH (1819) De l’auscultation médiate ou Traité du Diagnostic des Maladies des Poumon et du Coeur, 1st edn. Brosson & Chaudé, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kligfield P (1981) Laënnec and the discovery of mediate auscultation. Am J Med 70:275–278

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Lisfranc J (1823) Memoire sur de Nouvelles applications du stethoscope. Paris Gabone

  12. Lisfranc J (1824) Memoire sur de Nouvelles applications du stethoscope New England Med. Journ., p. 220

  13. Camman GP, Clark A (1840) A new method of ascertaining the dimensions, forms and condition of internal organs by percussion. NY Quart J Med Surg, 62

  14. Kimball AL (1917) College text-book of physics, ed. 2, New York, Henry Holt & Company, p. 224

  15. Vigevani E (1925) Auscultatory percussion in fractures, Policlinico (sez. prat.) 32:1783–1820 (Dec. 21)

  16. Lippman RK (1932) The use of auscultatory percussion for the examination of fractures, J. Bone & Joint Surg. 14:118–126 (Jan.)

  17. Hernigou P (2016) The Vienna and German heritage of orthopaedics from the first half of the twentieth century: Adolf Lorenz, Lorenz Böhler, Friedrich Pauwels, Gerhard Küntscher. Int Orthop 40(5):1049–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-015-3101-3

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Andrews AH (1903) The tuning fork and stethoscope in the diagnosis of fractures, Chicago M. Recorder 24:182–184 (March)

  19. Polera N and Tripodi A (1929) Diagnosis of fractures by phonometry, Rinasc. med. 6:531–533 (Nov.. 15)

  20. Mc Gaw W (1942) The use of percussion-auscultation in fractures. Arch Surg 45(2):195–205. https://doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.1942.01220020015002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Hernigou P, Medevielle D, Debeyre J, Goutallier D (1987) Proximal tibial osteotomy for osteoarthritis with varus deformity. A ten to thirteen-year follow-up study. J Bone Joint Surg Am 69(3):332–54

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Judet R, Siguier M, Brumpt B, Judet T (1978) A noncemented total hip prosthesis. Clin Orthop Relat Res (137):76–84

  23. Kundt A (1866) Ueber eine neue Art Akustischer Staubfiguren und über die Anwendung derselben zur Bestimmung der Shallgeschwindigkeit in festen Körpern und Gasen. Ann Phys-Berlin 127:497–523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Michel A, Bosc R, Mathieu V, Hernigou P, Haiat G (2014) Monitoring the press-fit insertion of an acetabular cup by impact measurements: influence of bone abrasion. Proc Inst Mech Eng H 228(10):1027–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/0954411914552433

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Michel A, Bosc R, Meningaud JP, Hernigou P, Haiat G (2016) Assessing the acetabular cup implant primary stability by impact analyses: a cadaveric study. PLoS One 11(11):e0166778. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166778

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Tijou A, Rosi G, Vayron R, Lomami HA, Hernigou P, Flouzat-Lachaniette CH, Haïat G (2018) (2018) Monitoring cementless femoral stem insertion by impact analyses: an in vitro study. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 88:102–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.08.009

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Zhuang X, Homma Y, Ishii S, Shirogane Y, Tanabe H, Baba T, Kaneko K, Sato T, Ishijima M (2022) Acoustic characteristics of broaching procedure for post-operative stem subsidence in cementless total hip arthroplasty. Int Orthop. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-021-05278-w

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Nich C, Behr J, Crenn V, Normand N, Mouchère H, d’Assignies G (2022) Applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning for the hip and knee surgeon: current state and implications for the future. Int Orthop. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-022-05346-9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Paris East, Creteil Cedex, France

    Philippe Hernigou

Authors
  1. Philippe Hernigou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

One author PH: data collection and redaction

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Philippe Hernigou.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval

All the data are reported in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Consent to participate

No individual included in this historical paper

Consent for publication

The author agreed to publish the manuscript.

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hernigou, P. History of bone acoustic in fracture diagnosis: crepitus in antiquity; bone percussion with Auenbrugger; bone auscultation with Laennec and Lisfranc; monitoring cementless hip arthroplasty fixation with acoustic and sensor. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 46, 1657–1666 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-022-05397-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-022-05397-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation