Performance comparison of lung ultrasound and chest x-ray for the diagnosis of pneumonia in the ED.

OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to assess the potential of bedside lung ultrasound examination by the attending emergency physician in the diagnosis of acute pneumonia. MATERIAL AND METHODS This observational single-center study was conducted between January 2010 and June 2012 in the emergency unit of a general hospital, and analyzed 144 adult patients. The ultrasound examination was performed by one of five trained emergency physicians, and a chest radiograph interpreted by a radiologist. The primary end point was the diagnosis of hospital discharge. RESULTS We found a sensitivity of 0.95 for the ultrasound examination against 0.6 for radiography (P < .05). The negative predictive value was 0.67 against 0.25 for radiography (P < .05). CONCLUSION These results exhort to promote the use of thoracic ultrasound in the first-line diagnosis of pneumonia.