Accuracy, Senstivity and Specificity of Lung Ultrasound in Comparison to CT Chest for Early Detection of ARDS and Pneumonia in Patients With Chest Trauma

Thoracic trauma has significant morbidity and mortality. It is the fourth most common trauma site after the head, abdomen, pelvis and extremities.

Thoracic trauma is one of the critical injury mechanisms in multiply injured trauma victims. Although these patients present a plethora of potential structural damages to vital organs, it remains debated which injuries actually influence outcome and thereby should be addressed initially.

Routine tests for chest injuries include chest X-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans. Chest X-rays are available but are insufficiently sensitive for chest trauma. Multi-detector CT is now considered the gold standard imaging tool in the emergency department; however, it is not applicable for unstable patients and is unavailable in intensive care units, so patient transport to radiology departments is required. This technique also exposes patients to high doses of ionizing radiation.

In thoracic trauma cases, ultrasonography of the lungs is valuable for evaluating various chest diseases, including chest wall hematoma and fractures, pleural cavity involvement with pleural effusion, hemothorax, and pneumothorax, and pericardial cavity involvement with hemopericardium.

The ultrasound can also assess the reduce in lung aeration in acute diseases by changing the lung surface and generating distinct patterns as in pulmonary contusions and compression atelectasis.