A Comparison Study in Children with Lower Respiratory Tract Infections: Chest X-ray and Lung Ultrasound

Abstract

Aim:Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in children. Chest X-rays, which are frequently used in diagnosis, cause ionizing radiation exposure and a loss of time. We aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of chest radiography (CR) and lung ultrasonography (US) in patients with LRTIs.Materials and Methods:This study was designed as methodological research. Of the 62 patients evaluated in our study, four refused to participate, and eight were excluded from the study due to their underlying chronic diseases. All 50 remaining patients (between the ages of 0-18 years) were evaluated with a preliminary LRTI diagnosis. Lung US was performed by a 3rd-year pediatric resident who had six hours of online US training. CR was taken after lung US.Results:The mean age of the 50 cases included in this study was five years and three months; 35 of the 50 patients (70%) had a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia, 15 (30%) of them had a clinical diagnosis of bronchiolitis. Statistically significant interobserver agreement was found between US and CR [Kappa value 0.772, 95% confidence interval (0.590-0.925) (p=0.000)]. The sensitivity of lung US was 95%, and its specificity was 85.7% when CR was accepted as the gold standard.Conclusion:Our study demonstrates that lung US can be used instead of CR to diagnose and follow-up pediatric cases with LRTIs.

Keywords

• pediatric emergency medicine
• pneumonia
• lung ultrasonography
• chest radiography