Overview
Auscultation is a method used to listen to the sounds of the body during a physical examination by using a stethoscope. A patient's lungs, heart, and intestines are the most common organs heard during auscultation.
Review Date 4/30/2015
Updated by: Laura J. Martin, MD, MPH, ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Atlanta, GA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.