Lung Ultrasound Findings in Patients with COVID-19

SN Compr Clin Med. 2020;2(11):2151-2157. doi: 10.1007/s42399-020-00553-0. Epub 2020 Oct 1.

Abstract

The current SARS-CoV-2 outbreak leads to a growing need of point-of-care thoracic imaging that is compatible with isolation settings and infection prevention precautions. We retrospectively reviewed 17 COVID-19 patients who received point-of-care lung ultrasound imaging in our isolation unit. Lung ultrasound was able to detect interstitial lung disease effectively; severe cases showed bilaterally distributed B-Lines with or without consolidations; one case showed bilateral pleural plaques. Corresponding to CT scans, interstitial involvement is accurately depicted as B-Lines on lung ultrasound. Lung ultrasound might be suitable for detecting interstitial involvement in a bedside setting under high security isolation precautions.

Keywords: COVID-19; Interstitial pneumonia; Lung ultrasound; SARS-CoV-2.