title: Ex vivo lung sonography: morphologic-ultrasound relationship.
abstract: Ultrasound (US) interstitial syndrome is a sonographic lung pattern characterized by the presence of acoustic artifacts (B-lines and white lung). The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how interstitial syndrome is determined by acoustic interactions in lungs of variable density and in healthy organs deflated to a nonphysiologic level of density. Normal rabbit lungs were studied ex vivo by US at varying known degrees of inflation, and their histologic appearances were described. In this experimental setting, US interstitial syndrome recognizes a mechanism related to tissue density or porosity. Artifacts (B-lines and white lung) appear in the normal rabbit lung through air-dependent increases in density. As in pathologic conditions, US interstitial syndrome can be reproduced in histologically normal lungs that are deflated to a critical level (>0.45 g/mL) of density, which is not achievable under physiologic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Valle del Serchio General Hospital, Lucca, Italy.
authors.forename: Gino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Soldati
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Inchingolo
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smargiassi
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sher
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nenna
authors.forename: Cosimo Damiano
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Inchingolo
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valente
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008168:Lung / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011817:Rabbits; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography