ROLE OF CHEST SONOGRAPHY IN DIAGNOSING PNEUMOTHORAX

Introduction: The use of ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis and treatment of patients is a well-established modality that has existed for many years. Objectives of the study: The main objective of the study is to find the role of chest sonography in diagnosing pneumothorax. Material and methods: This descriptive study was conducted in Lahore medical and dental college Lahore during 2020 to 2021. The data were collected from 50 patients with clinical and/or radiographic suspicion of pneumothorax; and patients with chest tube in-situ who required evaluation for residual pneumothorax. Patients with extensive subcutaneous emphysema were excluded from the study. Results: The data was collected from 50 patients. The duration of complaints ranged from 1 hour to 1 month. On examination, evidence of chest trauma was seen in 75 (59.5%) cases. Mild subcutaneous emphysema was seen in 26 (20.6%) cases. Significant general physical examination findings were tachypnoea, fever, tachycardia and lymphadenopathy. Pneumothorax was diagnosed by chest ultrasonography in 39/50 confirmed cases of pneumothorax (true-positive). Conclusion: It is concluded that chest ultrasonography can be used as a primary imaging modality for the diagnosis of pneumothorax in a vast array of clinical settings, as it has a high sensitivity and specificity.