title: Usefulness of lung ultrasound in diagnosing causes of exacerbation in patients with chronic dyspnea.
abstract: Dyspnea is a non-specific symptom that requires fast diagnostics, accurate diagnosis and proper treatment. The most common causes of dyspnea include exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic heart failure (CHF). Distinction between these two medical conditions seems to be critical in diagnostics of emergencies. At the same time, basic diagnostic tools available in emergency room, such as classic radiography (X-ray) of the chest, electrocardiography (ECG) or b-type natriuretic peptide test, are sometimes ambiguous. Therefore looking for additional diagnostic tool seems to be justified and necessary. Transthoracic lung ultrasound assessment is a simple and easily accessible examination, enabling the early and explicit diagnostics of pulmonary oedema and its distinction from other, non-cardiac causes of dyspnea. This review outlines the current knowledge on the subject of transthoracic lung ultrasound (TLUS), particularly in respect of its clinical usefulness in distinction of causes of dyspnea exacerbation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergology, Medical University in Gdańsk. krogoza@gumed.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rogoza
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kosiak
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
keywords: cardiogenic pulmonary oedema; dyspnea; transthoracic lung ultrasound