The value of lung ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of common lung diseases in newborns.

Abstract

To investigate the value of lung ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of common neonatal lung diseases. A total of 160 newborns with suspected lung diseases admitted to the Department of Neonatology of Linping Branch of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University from January 2020 to June 2023, were selected for examination. Perform lung ultrasound within 24 hours of admission for above newborns, using the final clinical diagnosis as standard. Calculate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of lung ultrasound technology in the diagnosing neonatal lung diseases, and assess its value in the differential diagnosis of common neonatal lung diseases. A total of 160 newborns suspected of having lung disease were finally diagnosed with lung disease in 142 cases. The accuracy of lung ultrasound in differentiating neonatal pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn, meconium aspiration syndrome, transient tachypnea of the newborn, pneumothorax, atelectasis, and pulmonary hemorrhage was 96.8%, 98.1%, 98.8%, 100%, 100%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. The detection rate of lung ultrasound examination for lung disease in newborns was 85.00%, with a sensitivity of 95.77%, specificity of 77.77%, positive predictive value of 97.14% and negative predictive value of 70.0%. The consistency test kappa value between lung ultrasound findings and the final clinical diagnosis of neonatal lung diseases is 0.846. Lung ultrasound holds significant value in the differential diagnosis of common lung diseases in newborns.