Thoracic ultrasonography in the evaluation of lung parenchyma in interstitial lung diseases

Purpose: The changes due to interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) in the lung parenchyma reveal comet tail artifact (CTA) that is defined on ultrasonography (USG), and is a type of reverberation artifact. We planned to investigate the significance of thoracic USG in the evaluation of the effect of ILD on pulmonary tissues in the present study. Materials and methods: The present cross-sectional study included patients diagnosed with ILD, and the control group between January 2016 and December 2017, high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings (the severity and extension scores for HRCT), pulmonary function tests, and pulmonary function tests and carbon monoxide diffusion test (PFT-DLCO) findings of all patients were recorded. Then, the number of CTAs detected on thoracic USG was recorded by a different pulmonologist. The data of the two groups were compared with each other. Results: Thirty-six (50.7%) patients and 35 (49.3%) healthy controls were included in the study. The mean number of CTA in the control group was 25 +/- 6.4 while the number of CTA in the ILD group was 68.3 +/- 16.2 (P < 0.001). Negative correlations were found between the total CTA and DLCO, DLCO%, forced vital capacity (FVC), and FVC% values (P < 0.001). Positive correlation was found between the total number of CTA and the total HRCT score (P: 0.01). The sensitivity of B-lines on USG was 94.4%, and specifitiy was 97.1% with a cutoff value of 39.5 to diagnose intersititial involvement. Conclusion: Thoracic USG may be a good diagnostic tool for diseases that commonly involve the lung interstitium such as ILD.
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