Background: Transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) is one of the most common causes of neonatal respiratory distress (RD). However, distinguishing TTN from other causes of RD may be difficult during the first 12:24 h after birth. Lung ultrasonography (LUS) has been successfully utilized in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of neonatal RD. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of LUS for early diagnosis of TTN as well as differentiate it from other causes of neonatal RD in near and full term Egyptian neonates.
Methods: LUS was performed in 65 near and full term neonates presented with RD within the first 12:24 hours of admission in NICU of Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
Results: Among the 65 neonates included in the study, 73.8% were diagnosed to have TTN, 18.5% were diagnosed to have pneumonia, 4.6% had meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) and 3.1% had respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The Double lung point has 69.6% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% PPV and 39.1% NPV for detecting TTN. We have novel data showing a positive correlation between the degree of alveolar-interstitial syndrome (AIS) and the type of oxygen support offered to neonates diagnosed with TTN.
Conclusion: We found LUS to be a reliable and non-invasive tool for the early diagnosis of TTN and its differentiation from other causes of neonatal RD in near and full term Egyptian neonates.
Keywords: Neonatal respiratory distress; TTN; alveolar-interstitial syndrome; double lung point; lung ultrasound; neonatal pneumonia.