Value of bedside lung ultrasound in the diagnosis of neonatal pneumonia

Abstract

To study the value of bedside lung ultrasound in the diagnosis of neonatal pneumonia. A total of 49 neonates who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Chengdu Women and Children's Central Hospital in March 2017 with respiratory symptoms as the chief complaint were enrolled. Bedside lung ultrasound was performed within 24 hours after admission. A retrospective analysis was performed for their clinical data and lung ultrasound findings. The value of bedside lung ultrasound in the diagnosis of neonatal pneumonia was evaluated. According to the gold standard for the diagnosis of neonatal pneumonia, of all 49 neonates, 44 were diagnosed with pneumonia. According to the criteria for the diagnosis of neonatal pneumonia based on lung ultrasound findings, 38 neonates were diagnosed with pneumonia. In the neonates with respiratory symptoms, lung ultrasound had a sensitivity of 86%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 45% in the diagnosis of neonatal pneumonia. Among the 44 cases of neonatal pneumonia diagnosed by the gold standard, the lung ultrasonic images showed B-lines in all 44 neonates (100%), 75% had pleural line abnormalities, 36% had patchy or local hypoechoic area in the lung, 27% had alveolar-interstitial syndrome, and 20% had air bronchogram. As a new diagnostic technique in clinical practice, bedside lung ultrasound has a high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of neonatal pneumonia and can thus be used as a tool for the diagnosis of this disease.