Lung Ultrasound in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Overview

Identification of lung diseases causing neonatal respiratory distress by lung ultrasound as a tool that can replace x-ray .

* Lung disease is the most common cause of neonatal respiratory distress. * It can result in respiratory failure and death in severe cases. * The mortality rate is approximately 11%:32%. * Identification of the etiology of lung disease is important for neonatologists. * Traditionally, chest X-ray has been considered as the most valuable imaging modality for the diagnosis of lung diseases, but it unavoidably causes radiation damage to the patient. * Neonates are susceptible to radiation because they have rapidly dividing cells that cannot repair mutated DNA. * The risk of cancer induction in infants receiving a single small dose of radiation is 2-3 times higher than the average population and 6-9 times higher than the risk from an exposure of a 60-year-old patient. * New imaging modalities have been introduced in clinical practice in recent years such as lung ultrasound. * One of the most common causes of neonatal respiratory distress that can be diagnosed by ultrasound is :Respiratory Distress Syndrome: * Respiratory distress syndrome.. is a major cause of neonatal mortality. * It mainly occur in preterm infants due to structural and functional lung immaturity. * Pulmonary surfactant insufficiency is an important pathogenesis in respiratory distress syndrome. * The ultrasonic features of respiratory distress syndrome are: Compact B-Lines, white lung appearance, abnormality in pleural line (thick and irregular),lung consolidation. * Lung ultrasound has the advantages of : * Non-ionizing. * Easy to operate. * Low coast. * Portable for bedside use. * The imaging is performed in real-time. * Thus making it as a potential tool to be used in neonatal intensive care units.

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