Comparison of lung ultrasound assisted by artificial intelligence to radiology examination in pneumothorax

Lung ultrasound can evaluate for pneumothorax but the accuracy of diagnosis depends on experience among physicians. This study aimed to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of intelligent lung ultrasound in comparison with chest x-ray, employing chest computed tomography (CT) as the gold standard for diagnosis of pneumothorax in critical ill patients.

This prospective, observational study included 75 dyspnea patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2021 to April 2023. Lung ultrasound images were collected using BLUE-plus protocol and analyzed by artificial intelligence software to identify the pleural line, with CT results serving as the gold standard for diagnosis. Pneumothorax was diagnosed based on either the disappearance of pleural slip sign or identification of lung point. Additionally, chest x-ray images and diagnostic results were also obtained during the same period for comparison.

The sensitivity and specificity of intelligent lung ultrasound in diagnosing pneumothorax were 79.4% and 85.4%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of x-ray diagnosis were 82.4% and 80.5%. Additionally, the diagnostic time for lung ultrasound was significantly shorter than that for x-ray examination.

Intelligent lung ultrasound has diagnostic efficiency comparable to that of x-ray examination but offers advantages in terms of speed.