title: Sonography of the chest using linear-array versus sector transducers: Correlation with auscultation, chest radiography, and computed tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The primary purpose of our study was to compare the efficacies of two sonographic (US) probes, a high-frequency linear-array probe and a lower-frequency phased-array sector probe in the diagnosis of basic thoracic pathologies. The secondary purpose was to compare the diagnostic performance of thoracic US with auscultation and chest radiography (CXR) using thoracic CT as a gold standard.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 55 consecutive patients scheduled for thoracic CT were enrolled in this prospective study. Four pathologic entities were evaluated: pneumothorax, pleural effusion, consolidation, and interstitial syndrome. A portable US scanner was used with a 5-10-MHz linear-array probe and a 1-5-MHz phased-array sector probe. The first probe used was chosen randomly. US, CXR, and auscultation results were compared with the CT results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The linear-array probe had the highest performance in the identification of pneumothorax (83% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 99% diagnostic accuracy) and pleural effusion (100% sensitivity, 97% specificity, and 98% diagnostic accuracy); the sector probe had the highest performance in the identification of consolidation (89% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 95% diagnostic accuracy) and interstitial syndrome (94% sensitivity, 93% specificity, and 94% diagnostic accuracy). For all pathologies, the performance of US was superior to those of CXR and auscultation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The linear probe is superior to the sector probe for identifying pleural pathologies, whereas the sector probe is superior to the linear probe for identifying parenchymal pathologies. Thoracic US has better diagnostic performance than CXR and auscultation for the diagnosis of common pathologic conditions of the chest. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 44:383-389, 2016.
authors: Department of Pulmonology, Trakya University Medical Faculty, 22030, Edirne, Turkey.
authors: Ozlem
authors: O
authors: Tasci
authors: Department of Pulmonology, Trakya University Medical Faculty, 22030, Edirne, Turkey.
authors: Osman Nuri
authors: ON
authors: Hatipoglu
authors: Department of Radiology, Trakya University Medical Faculty, 22030, Edirne, Turkey.
authors: Bekir
authors: B
authors: Cagli
authors: Department of Radiology, Trakya University Medical Faculty, 22030, Edirne, Turkey.
authors: Veli
authors: V
authors: Ermis
mesh_terms: D001314:Auscultation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014159:Transducers; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
keywords: consolidation; effusion; interstitial syndrome; lung; pleura; pneumothorax; probe; thorax; ultrasonography