Lung ultrasound for detecting pneumothorax in injured children: preliminary experience at a community-based Level II pediatric trauma center

ConclusionPneumothorax is less common in the pediatric than the adult trauma population, and when encountered in children pneumothorax is often occult and might be associated with lung contusions. Existing evidence supports the usefulness of chest US in detecting pneumothorax in adults and suggests that it can be translated to injured children. However, our findings suggest that the sensitivity of lung US as a single-point anterior exam extension of the FAST exam might not be as reliable in the pediatric trauma population as in adults. Other methodologies using lung US might improve sensitivity.
Source: Pediatric Radiology - Category: Radiology Source Type: research