An abnormal change in tone, somewhat like the bleat of a goat, heard in auscultation of the chest when the subject speaks normally. It is associated with bronchophony and may be heard over the lungs of persons with pleural effusion, or occasionally pneumonia.
The peculiar sound, occasionally likened to a goat’s bleat, detected when a stethoscope is placed over a layer of pleural effusion in the chest. To evaluate this, the patient is instructed to say “99” aloud, allowing the doctor to listen to the sound transmitted through the chest wall. In cases of egophony, instead of a distinct “99,” the sound takes on a nasal quality, resembling a patient with a cold in the head.