Chest Ultrasonography - A Quick and Accurate Diagnostic Tool in Pediatric Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit

Chest ultrasonography is a useful diagnostic tool for pediatricians. It can be used to complete and widen the general objectives of clinicalexamination in emergency situations, at the patient’s bedside. The diagnosis of pneumonia in children relies on history, physical examination, blood tests and chest X-rays. These methods have a low accuracy in the pediatric population that is even lower in the critically ill. The relative ease of bedside ultrasound examination and the availability of user-friendly, inexpensive, portable equipment have made chest ultrasonography an interesting and alternative investigating tool in various situations, because it offers accurate information that is of diagnostic and therapeutic relevance. In this article we attempt to summarize the equipment, examination techniques, normal fi ndings and various signs of chest ultrasonography seen in multiple pathologies like pneumonia, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, interstitial syndrome, consolidations, pulmonaryedema, ETT placement and diaphragmatic movements.