Tranthoracic ultrasound for assessment of pulmonary function: a novel cross section study

Abstract

Introduction Evaluation of the pulmonary function of the patients is very important in several aspects. This study aims to correlate the dynamic respiratory motion of the lung during transthoracic ultrasonography with some parameters of ventilatory pulmonary function tests. Patients and methods It was carried on 42 persons classified into three groups: control group, obstructive group, and restrictive group – measurement of lung expansion parameters by an ultrasonography movie during breathing. Two marks were applied at the most cephalic lung retraction (expiration) and most caudal lung expansion (inspiration). This maneuver was performed during quiet and maximum respiration to measure the lung expansion with tidal volume and lung expansion with vital capacity, respectively. The diaphragmatic excursion during quiet breathing was treated as representing the tidal volume, and the diaphragmatic excursion during maximum breathing was treated as representing the vital capacity of the lung. Results The lung expansion with vital capacity, lung expansion difference, and vital capacity calculated from lung expansion each showed a significant positive correlation with forced vital capacity, forced vital capacity%, and forced expiratory volume in the first second in the three groups. This positive correlation in the three groups denotes that the ultrasound-measured lung expansion parameters go hand in hand with those of ventilatory pulmonary function tests. Conclusion The measurement of ultrasound lung expansion parameters can be used for the estimation of lung vital capacity. The measurement of ultrasound diaphragmatic excursion parameters can be used for the estimation of forced expiratory volume in the first second.

Keywords

• pulmonary function test
• transthoracic ultrasound
• non-invasive