Pneumothorax - What is it
What is it?
What is Pneumothorax PoCUS?
It refers to the sonographic assessment of the pleural space for air - pneumothorax. Given air scatters US waves, no one thought US would be a useful diagnostic modality.
In 1995, Dr. Daniel Litchtenstein et al. published the first paper describing the clinical utility of PoCUS for pneumothorax in the a Critical Care population. From this spawned all the research that followed in the ICU and Trauma disciplines.
It refers to the sonographic assessment of the pleural space for air - pneumothorax. Given air scatters US waves, no one thought US would be a useful diagnostic modality.
In 1995, Dr. Daniel Litchtenstein et al. published the first paper describing the clinical utility of PoCUS for pneumothorax in the a Critical Care population. From this spawned all the research that followed in the ICU and Trauma disciplines.
Before we embark on learning Pneumothorax image acquisition and interpretation, it is absolutely imperative that you acknowledge the potential pitfalls and the limitations of this type of scan lest an incorrect synthesis resulting in harm.
Despite PoCUS has a better sensitivity and specificity than CXR, it is (1) Highly operator dependent and (2) Validated in Critical Care and Trauma settings. If you are uncertain, attain a confirmation study.
Despite PoCUS has a better sensitivity and specificity than CXR, it is (1) Highly operator dependent and (2) Validated in Critical Care and Trauma settings. If you are uncertain, attain a confirmation study.
Take Home Messages:
- PoCUS for Pneumothorax is not simple
- Remember other diagnostic modalities - CXR and CT chest - deploy according to acuity and transferable