Usefulness of ultrasound of lung

Abstract

In the recent years, lung ultrasonography has emerged in the clinical arena as a useful and developing imaging modality of evaluating lung. From its traditional assessment of pleural effusions and masses, Lung ultrasonography has moved towards the revolutionary approach of imaging the pulmonary parenchyma. Although limited by the presence of air, Lung ultrasonography has proved to be useful in the evaluation of cardiogenic pulmonary edema, to acute lung injury, pneumothorax, pneumonia, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary infarctions and contusions. It is especially valuable since it is easily available at bedside, free of radiation hazard and real time. Lung ultrasonography has been proven to be superior to the bedside chest X-ray and equal to chest CT in diagnosing many pleural and lung pathologies. A relatively easy-to-learn application of ultrasound, less technically demanding than other sonographic examinations, it is quick to perform, portable, repeatable, independent from specific acoustic windows, and therefore suitable for a meaningful evaluation in many different settings, both inpatient and outpatient. In the next few years, point-of-care lung ultrasonography is likely to become increasingly important in many different clinical settings, from the emergency department to the intensive care unit, from cardiology to pulmonology and nephrology wards.