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Updated: Aug 20, 2026
Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
Published on: March 6, 2019
Novel techniques for assessing infant and pediatric lung function and structure
1Children's Hospital, Ohio State University School of Medicine and Public Health, Columbus, OH, USA.
Insights
New pulmonary function tests for infants enable early detection of lung disease. These methods, including raised volume rapid thoracoabdominal compression and controlled ventilation CT, provide crucial data for timely intervention and improved treatment outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Medical Imaging
- Respiratory Physiology
Background:
- Standard pulmonary function tests are vital for assessing lung dysfunction in adults and older children.
- Infants' inability to perform voluntary respiratory maneuvers limits the assessment of early-onset respiratory disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce novel methods for evaluating lung function and structure in infants and young children.
- To enable early diagnosis and intervention for respiratory diseases originating in infancy.
Main Methods:
- Raised volume rapid thoracoabdominal compression pulmonary function testing in sedated infants.
- Controlled ventilation with high-resolution computed tomography (CT) for infant lung imaging.
Main Results:
- Both methods successfully acquire pulmonary function and high-resolution CT data in infants.
- Results obtained are comparable to those from voluntary maneuvers in older individuals.
- These techniques allow for the evaluation of both functional and structural lung changes.
Conclusions:
- Novel techniques facilitate the assessment of lung and airway changes in infants with respiratory disease.
- These methods enable the investigation of infant lung disorders at their earliest stages.
- Early detection and intervention are optimized, improving treatment and prevention strategies.
Background:
Voluntarily performed pulmonary function tests are used in adults and older children to assess lung dysfunction and changes in function that occur during disease progression and treatment. However, because infants are unable to comply with voluntary respiratory maneuvers, alternate testing methods are needed to allow similar progress in the treatment and prevention of respiratory disorders that begin in infancy.
Methods:
Two new methods for assessing lung function and structure in infants and young children who are unable to perform voluntary respiratory maneuvers are described: raised volume rapid thoracoabdominal compression pulmonary function testing and controlled ventilation, high resolution computed tomography for lung imaging.
Conclusions:
Both methods are performed in sedated, sleeping infants and depend on the induction of a pause in normal respiratory effort. This pause is produced by delivering several deep breaths via the child's nose and mouth using a facemask. The induced pause in respiration permits the performance of the respiratory maneuvers needed to acquire pulmonary function and high resolution computed tomography results in infants. These results are virtually identical with those obtainable during voluntary maneuvers performed by adults and older children. Together these 2 new methods permit evaluation of the functional and structural changes that occur in the lungs and airways of infants and young children with respiratory disease. These 2 novel techniques permit the investigation of lung disorders as they first develop early in life, thus optimizing opportunities for early intervention and prevention.
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