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Updated: Oct 23, 2025
Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
Published on: March 6, 2019
Gravity-induced loss of aeration and atelectasis development in the preterm lung: a serial sonographic assessment
Yusuke Hoshino1, Junichi Arai2, Koji Hirono2
1Department of Neonatology, Ibaraki Children's Hospital, Mito, Japan. y-hoshino@md.tsukuba.ac.jp.
Objective:
To assess the impact of gravity and time on the changes in the distribution patterns of loss of aeration and atelectasis development in very preterm infants.
Study Design:
Preterm infants less than 32 weeks gestation were included in this prospective, observational study. Infants were assessed via serial lung ultrasound (LUS) score in four lung zones, performed on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 after birth.
Result:
Eighty-eight patients were enrolled. There was a significant main effect of gravity (P < 0.001) and time (P = 0.01) on the LUS score between gravity-dependent lungs and non-dependent lungs. Moreover, there was a significant main effect of gravity (P = 0.003) on atelectasis development between the lungs.
Conclusion:
Gravity and time have an impact on the changes in the distribution patterns of gravity-induced lung injuries in preterm infants.
