Lung Ultrasound Findings Undetectable by Chest Radiography in Children with Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

The purpose of our study was to evaluate any differences between lung ultrasonography and chest radiography (CR) images in children with a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and, if there are any, to analyze the reasons and possible clinical implications. We reviewed the medical records of patients admitted to the pediatric ward from January 2014 to December 2016 and selected only cases discharged with a diagnosis of CAP who had undergone performed lung ultrasound (LUS) and CR within 24 h of each other. All radiologic and sonographic images of the selected cases were examined blindly by a senior radiologist and a skilled sonographer, respectively, with respect to number, position and size of lung injuries.

Lung ultrasound in the diagnosis of pneumonia in children: proposal for a new diagnostic algorithm.

Background. Despite guideline recommendations, chest radiography (CR) for the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children is commonly used also in mild and/or uncomplicated cases. The aim of this study is to assess the reliability of lung ultrasonography (LUS) as an alternative test in these cases and suggest a new diagnostic algorithm.