Emergency bedside ultrasound to detect pneumothorax

A relatively new application of emergency ultrasound is its use in the diagnosis of pneumothorax. In patients with major trauma, early detection and treatment of pneumothorax are vital. Chest radiography in these patients is limited to anteroposterior (AP) supine films, in which radiographic feature...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Academic emergency medicine 2003-01, Vol.10 (1), p.91-94
Main Author: Chan, Stewart Siu Wa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Emergency Medicine - methods
Humans
Pneumothorax - diagnostic imaging
Point-of-Care Systems
Sensitivity and Specificity
Ultrasonography
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Summary:A relatively new application of emergency ultrasound is its use in the diagnosis of pneumothorax. In patients with major trauma, early detection and treatment of pneumothorax are vital. Chest radiography in these patients is limited to anteroposterior (AP) supine films, in which radiographic features of pneumothorax may be quite subtle. Hence, rapid and accurate bedside ultrasonography can expedite resuscitation. Sonographic features of pneumothorax have been identified in a number of studies. The technique involves identification of the pleural line and observation for features such as "lung sliding" and comet-tail artifacts, which are absent in pneumothorax. Based on a review of the literature, the author describes these features and discusses the utility of emergency ultrasound in detecting pneumothorax.
ISSN:1069-6563
1553-2712
DOI:10.1111/j.1553-2712.2003.tb01984.x