The Utility Of Lung Ultrasound In Evaluation Of Infants With Suspected Bronchiolitis
Authors: Moustafa Abdel Kadera, Manal F. Abou Samraa, Sawsan M.S. Abdel Aalb, Nageh Shehatab, Asmaa Khalifab
Abstract:
Aims
To study the role of lung ultrasound (LUS) in the evaluation of bronchiolitis in infants.
Patients and methods
25 hospitalized infants, their mean age (6.94 ± 4.48 months), 7 males and 18 females. All patients underwent chest X-ray (CXR) and lung ultrasound after full clinical examination with suspicion of bronchiolitis and evaluation for corresponding findings.
Results
In 25 infants suspected clinically to have bronchiolitis, 11 patients had mild degree of bronchiolitis, other 11 patients had moderate degree and only 3 cases had severe form of bronchiolitis. The chest X-ray and lung ultrasound were done for all patients; the chest X-ray findings were non-specific including lung plethora in 6 patients, hyperinflation in 3 patients and peribronchial thickenings in 1 patient. The lung ultrasound findings were significant and variable ranged from subpleural lung consolidation in 3 cases, compact B-lines in 6 cases, pleural line abnormalities (thickening and irregularity) in 8 cases and small isolated B-lines in 11 cases. On follow-up of infants, the lung ultrasound findings were correlated positively with the clinical course of the disease.
Conclusions
Lung ultrasound played an important role in the diagnosis, management and follow-up of infants with clinical suspicion of bronchiolitis.
Keywords
Lung ultrasound; Bronchiolitis; Infants
Citation: Moustafa Abdel Kadera, Manal F. Abou Samraa, Sawsan M.S. Abdel Aalb, Nageh Shehatab, Asmaa Khalifab The Utility Of Lung Ultrasound In Evaluation Of Infants With Suspected Bronchiolitis doi:10.1016/j.ejrnm.2016.06.009.
Received: 16 March 2016, Accepted: 13 June 2016, Available online: 4 July 2016
Copyright: © 2016 The Egyptian Society of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. Production and hosting by Elsevier
B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Conclusion
In bronchiolitis, lung ultrasound with no radiation exposure can offer a non-invasive, rapid, reproducible and relatively in-expensive diagnostic tool. It can reduce the need for chest X-ray and should be recommended in infants with clinical signs and symptoms of suspected bronchiolitis.
Conflict of interest
All authors have materially participated in the research preparation and agreed for the submission.
We have no conflict of interest to declare.
Funding source
No disclosure of funding received for this work from any organization.
