[Thoracic electrical impedance tomography: Technical aspects and clinical applications]

Abstract

Thoracic Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a functional respiratory imaging technique first developed in the 1970s. It provides real-time functional information at the patient's bedside, without ionizing radiation. Its growing interest in clinical practice in recent years is the result of numerous technological advances, providing the practitioner with a tool for monitoring pulmonary ventilation, assessing the efficacy of therapeutic interventions, detecting complications such as pneumothorax, and obtaining data on pulmonary perfusion. Its use is gradually extending beyond the field of critical care, as it has become a promising tool for diagnosing and monitoring patients with chronic pulmonary disorders. This general review aims to raise physician awareness of this emerging technology, explaining its operating principles, the data it can collect and its main clinical applications, both inside and outside critical care units, thereby paving the way for new clinical management and research perspectives.

Keywords: Electrical impedance tomography; Intensive care; Lung perfusion; Lung ventilation; Perfusion pulmonaire; Pneumologie; Respiratory care; Soins critiques; Tomographie par impédancemétrie électrique; Ventilation pulmonaire.