Lung ultrasound introduced in AZ St Lucas

Written by Simon van Hooland on November 25, 2014.

From its traditional assessment of pleural effusions and masses, lung ultrasound (LUS) has moved towards the revolutionary approach of imaging the pulmonary parenchyma. Although limited by the presence of air, LUS has proved to be useful in the evaluation of many different acute and chronic conditions, from cardiogenic pulmonary edema to acute lung injury, from pneumothorax to pneumonia, from interstitial lung disease to pulmonary infarctions and contusions. Dr Luna Gargani, an expert in this field, spent a few days in Gent teaching the technique to a group of interested doctors from various specialties (general practitioners, pneumologists, cardiologists and nephrologists). 

It is especially valuable since it is a relatively easy-to-learn application of ultrasound, less technically demanding than other sonographic examinations. It is quick to perform, portable, repeatable, non-ionizing, independent from specific acoustic windows, and therefore suitable for a meaningful evaluation in many different settings, both inpatient and outpatient, in both acute and chronic conditions.