Lung in children

Abstract

Lung ultrasound is superior to chest x-ray for detecting pneumothoraces, pleural effusions, interstitial abnormalities and consolidations. Paediatric patients, by the nature of their size, are eminently suitable for having lung ultrasound performed. While ultrasound images are usually excellent quality, performing an ultrasound examination on a moving, irritable child poses inherent difficulties. The clinician must have strategies to overcome these challenges. A logical scanning procedure that divides the lungs into regions enables standardised labelling of representative images from each region. Recent literature has suggested that lung ultrasound may be able to aid in distinguishing viral from bacterial lower respiratory tract infections, thereby contributing to the clinician's stewardship of antibiotic usage.