Every year, pneumonia hospitalizes approximately 1 million people – 50,000 of those cases prove fatal, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, 1 million deaths occur in children aged 5 and under around the world. Pneumonia is the leading cause of mortality among adolescents, but recent studies have shown evidence of more effective ways to detect the disease.
LUSs trump CR, CT
While all forms of medical imaging help diagnose pneumonia, one stands out among the rest. In a study published in Pediatrics, researchers from John Hopkins University found that lung ultrasounds accurately detected the disease 96 percent of the time and correctly found a negative result with 93 percent of tests in children age 18 and under. Only 38 percent of the cases required the use of chest CTs, and 13 percent of those were used to correctly diagnose adolescents who had inconsistent chest radiography and LUS results, according to Healio. The CT outcomes aligned with LUSs while CR results were off.
Presented by researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai at a American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine meeting, another study showed that using LUSs before other testing eliminated 40 percent of chest X-rays, AuntMinnie.com explained.
Myriad benefits of ultrasounds
Both CR and CT tests can be costly. By switching to LUSs, patients and physicians can save money and time. Chest x-rays cost approximately $370 per test, compared to $140 for ultrasounds, according to DOTmed. Widespread use of ultrasounds resulted in cost reductions totaling $9,620 and 26 fewer minutes spent in the emergency room for patients. They are also easy to use and train physicians on. While highly-trained doctors had a higher accuracy using LUSs (60.6 percent), non-trained physicians' use of chest X-rays dropped 30 percent, AuntMinnie.com explained.
The risk of radiation always accompanies diagnostic radiology. However, ultrasounds do not increase the risk of cancer because they do not utilize radiation. LUSs provide doctors with a safe way to examine children who are already ill.
"It is feasible and safe to substitute LUSs for chest X-rays when evaluating children with suspected pneumonia, with no missed cases of pneumonia or an increase in rates of adverse events," Ee Tein Tay, M.D., assistant professor of emergency medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, told AuntMinnie.com.
While medical imaging scans are preferable to none, ultrasounds prove more reliable in diagnosing pediatric pneumonia. With nearly 1 million adolescent mortalities each year for the disease, the need for accurate testing is at an all-time high.
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Ronny Bachrach
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