Bedside ultrasonography for diagnosis of pneumothorax

Ultrasonography (US) has found its way into the critical care and emergency settings for the evaluation of acute respiratory failure conditions in recent years. It is useful for the diagnosis of varieties of abnormalities involving pleura and lung such as pleural effusion, alveolar interstitial syndrome, and pneumothorax (PTX). In addition to its reproducibility and timeliness, US has high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of these conditions. The most widely used method for bedside evaluation of PTX is chest X-ray (CXR). However, the diagnostic sensitivity of CXR in detecting PTX is limited especially in occult PTX and when the patient is assumed supine position. Computed tomography (CT) is the gold standard in the evaluation of PTX, but is limited by its high radiation exposure and safety concerns in transporting critically ill patients. In this paper we review current advances in PTX diagnosis using US.