Peritoneal friction

Hepatic peritoneal friction test is an auxiliary test method to check whether the abdominal liver is normal. When the examiner puts his palm lightly on the examinee's liver area and lets him perform abdominal breathing, he feels a kind of intermittent and rough vibration. This sign is seen in perihepatitis. The mechanism is due to fibrous exudate on the liver surface and adjacent peritoneum, which are caused by friction between the two. If heard with a stethoscope, it is called a hepatic peritoneal friction sound.