Diagnostic value of pulsed wave doppler in pneumothorax: a prospective study.

Background: The diagnosis of pneumothorax is usually made through clinical examination and radiography. Pulsed wave (PW) Doppler mode has not previously been used in the diagnosis of pneumothorax on chest USG.

Aims: The aim of this study is to present, for the first time, a new finding demonstrating pleural movements using PW Doppler mode and to examine the value of the new sonographic finding in the diagnosis of pneumothorax.

Methods: We investigated the presence of PW artifact in patients with and without pneumothorax using the high-frequency probe in PW Doppler. The Dogan's sign, defined as the absence of PW artifact, was then compared with lung sliding and the barcode sign in pulsed wave Doppler for the diagnosis of pneumothorax.

Results: Of the 141 patients, 39 were in the pneumothorax group. The sensitivity and specificity of the Dogan's sign in the diagnosis of pneumothorax were 95.12% and 99.3%, respectively, in this study. The sensitivity and specificity of lung sliding were 95.12% and 98.08%, respectively; the sensitivity and specificity of the barcode sign were 92.86% and 98.08%, respectively, in the diagnosis of pneumothorax by ultrasonography in this study.

Conclusion: PW Doppler is a useful tool in the diagnosis of pneumothorax. It has a high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of pneumothorax. It is also superior to both lung sliding and the barcode sign in detecting pneumothorax. The Dogan's sign can be used safely in the diagnosis of pneumothorax, together with lung sliding and the barcode sign.