The role of ultrasound lung artifacts in the diagnosis of respiratory diseases

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Thoracic ultrasound is employed for the diagnosis of many thoracic diseases and is an accepted detection tool of pleural effusions, atelectasis, pneumothorax, and pneumonia. However, the use of ultrasound for the evaluation of parenchymal lung disease, when the organ is still aerated, is a relatively new application.

Areas covered: The diagnosis of a normal lung and the differentiation between a normally aerated lung and a lung with interstitial pathology is based on the interpretation of ultrasound artifacts universally known as A and B-Lines. Even though the practical role of lung ultrasound artifacts is accepted by many clinicians, their physical basis and the correlations between these signs and the causal pathology is not known in depth.

Expert commentary: In this review, we discuss the meaning of A- and B-Lines in the diagnostic ultrasound imaging of the lung and the acoustic properties of the pleural plane which are at the basis of their generation.

KEYWORDS:

• Artifacts
• lung
• ultrasound

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewers Disclosure

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.