Lung ultrasound in pediatric radiology - cons

Abstract

In the 1990s, intensivists suggested a new type of sonography: lung ultrasound, based on artefacts that receive information even from physical acoustic phenomena not directly convertible into images of the human body. They compared the artefacts from the lung zones with no acoustic window with various computed tomography (CT) patterns. They used and still use US as a tool to evaluate patients bedside, i.e. monitoring of lung recruitment. They included Lung ultrasound in what was termed POCUS (Point-of-Care Ultrasound). Lung ultrasound has been progressively extended to paediatrics in general. The most appealing novelty has been the diagnosis of pneumothorax. Lung ultrasound was developed as a support tool for critical patients. Extrapolation with mass diffusion, in the absence of appropriate training, has led to misunderstandings and dangerous therapeutic diagnostic drifts.

Keywords: Children; Lung; Review; Ultrasound.