The role of lung ultrasound in the diagnosis and follow-up of community-acquired pneumonia.
CAP may be diagnosed and followed up by lung sonography (LUS), a technique that shows excellent sensitivity and specificity that is at least comparable with that of chest X-ray in two planes. LUS may be performed with any abdomen-sonography device. Therefore, LUS is a readily available diagnostic tool that does not involve radiation exposure and has wide applications especially in situations where X-ray is not available and/or not applicable. An X-ray or CT of the chest should be performed in cases of negative lung sonography and if other differential diagnoses or complications are suspected.
Pneumology & Allergology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany. angelika.reissig@med.uni-jena.de
Angelika
A
Reissig
Andrea
A
Gramegna
Stefano
S
Aliberti
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011859:Radiography; D014463:Ultrasonography