The usefulness of lung ultrasound in pediatric asthma: a comparative study

Lung ultrasound (LUS) shows promise in the assessment of various lung diseases. There is insufficient data about its use in pediatric asthma. The aim of this study was to determine the ultrasound findings in different clinical scenarios of pediatric asthma.

The cross-sectional study involved children aged 5-17 years. LUS was performed within four groups of patients: newly diagnosed asthma, well-controlled asthma, acute exacerbation requiring hospitalization and healthy controls. LUS findings were recorded as either present or absent for abnormal sonographic indicators in each of the six lung zones.

The study involved 130 children aged 5-17 years. The mean number of LUS findings was significantly higher in children with newly diagnosed asthma and at acute asthma exacerbation than in patients with well-controlled asthma and the control group (p < 0.001). 84% of children with newly diagnosed asthma, 28% of patients with well-controlled asthma and 95% of patients with acute exacerbation had positive LUS findings. Only 11% of healthy controls had positive LUS findings. Consolidations larger than 1 cm, more than 3 B lines in more than one lung field, pleural effusion, as well as pleural line abnormalities were only documented in newly diagnosed astma and asthma exacerbation.

LUS shows different ultrasound patterns in different scenarios of pediatric asthma. Further studies are needed to determine its role in the diagnosis and monitoring of asthma in children.