Q. A 45-year-old man presents at your primary care clinic, reporting a week of fever, persistent cough with yellowish sputum, and chest discomfort. His vital signs are within the normal range: temperature 100°F (37.8°C), pulse 80 beats per minute, blood pressure 120/80 mmHg, and respiratory rate 16 per minute. Upon physical examination, you observe diminished breath sounds and coarse crackles upon inspiration in the left lower lung field. To further evaluate his lung sounds, you perform a whispered pectoriloquy test. Remarkably, during this test, you hear the whispered word "ninety-nine" with exceptional clarity and loudness. What is the most likely reason for the heightened loudness detected during the test in this patient?