Management of Pediatric Pneumonia by Lung Ultrasound versus Chest X-ray
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Due to the advantages of ultrasonography over chest X-ray or CT (radiation exposure) in the diagnosis of pneumonia and its consequences, it may become the next-line investigation of choice for pneumonia. OBJECTIVE: The findings of lung ultrasonography (LUS) in pediatric pneumonia and correlating LUS findings with clinical findings in children aged 2 months to 12 years. METHODS: The study included 100 children aged 2 months to 12 years who presented with cough and fast breathing. Within 24 hours of admission, all had LUS, and the data was analyzed. The ROC curve was created to forecast the respiratory, vital, and laboratory data cut-off values. RESULTS: When it came to detecting pneumonia, a lung ultrasound had a sensitivity of 0.906 and a specificity of 0.661, whereas a chest X-ray had a sensitivity of 0.793 and a specificity of 0.559. lung ultrasound had a higher beneficial score than chest X-ray for pneumonia severity indexes 3 and 4. This indicates that lung ultrasound may aid in clinical decision-making when putting children on antibiotics in the early stages of pneumonia when symptoms are not severe. CONCLUSIONS: Temperatures below 38.0°C, malnutrition, and crepitations were all independent predictors of radiologically confirmed pneumonia. Lung ultrasound can lower antibiotic abuse in the pediatric population.
Source: Annals of African Medicine
Authors: Sheikh Sadiya Mohammaadi, Seema Rai, N. S. Vithal Rao, D. Rajya Luxmi
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4415027604