A grating sound or sensation caused by rough surfaces rubbing together. Crepitus may be felt or heard when the ends of a broken bone rub against each other, or when cartilage on the surfaces of a joint has worn away in osteoarthritis. Faint crepitus can be heard in the lung as a result of, for example, inflammation in pneumonia. Crepitus also describes the sound made when air under the skin (see emphysema, surgical) or gas gangrene is pressed.
Crepitus |
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