Role of lung ultrasound in diagnosing and differentiating transient tachypnea of the newborn and respiratory distress syndrome in preterm neonates
Article Category: Research paper
Published Online: Feb 08, 2022
Page range: 1 - 5
Received: Nov 20, 2021
Accepted: Dec 16, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15557/JoU.2022.0001
Keywords
© 2022 Srinivasan S, Neeti Aggarwal, Sushma Makhaik, Anupam Jhobta, Sumala Kapila, Rohit Bhoil, published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Aim
To evaluate the accuracy of lung ultrasound in diagnosing and differentiating transient tachypnea of the newborn and respiratory distress syndrome in preterm neonates.
Material and methods
This was a single-center study. From January 2020 to June 2021. A total of 100 preterm neonates, admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit with symptoms of respiratory distress within six hours of birth, including 50 diagnosed with transient tachypnea of the newborn and 50 with respiratory distress syndrome on the basis of clinical examination, laboratory testing, chest X-rays, were recruited in the study. Lung ultrasound was performed in each neonate by a senior radiologist who was blinded to the clinical diagnosis. Lung ultrasound findings in both conditions were analyzed and compared.
Results
Pulmonary edema manifesting as alveolar-interstitial syndrome, double lung point sign and less commonly as white out lungs in the absence of consolidation has 100% sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing transient tachypnea of the newborn. A combination of three signs of consolidation with air or fluid bronchograms, white out lungs and absent spared areas has 100% sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing respiratory distress syndrome. Double lung point sign was seen only in infants suffering from transient tachypnea of the newborn and consolidation with air or fluid bronchograms only in cases of respiratory distress syndrome.
Conclusion
Lung ultrasound can accurately diagnose and reliably differentiate transient tachypnea of the newborn and respiratory distress syndrome in preterm neonates. It has advantages that cannot be replicated by chest radiography. Lung ultrasound may be used as an initial screening tool.