Ultrasound vs. chest radiography for detecting pneumothorax, hemothorax, and lung contusion in trauma: a prospective study

In 76 trauma patients, transthoracic ultrasound had 91% sensitivity for pneumothorax, 96% for hemothorax, and 86% for lung contusion, far surpassing chest radiography’s 69%, 62%, and 25% respectively (CT reference).

• Prospective, single-center diagnostic accuracy study of 76 adult trauma patients (mean age 42.5 years, 77.6% male, 78.9% blunt injuries) with CT as reference standard.
• Transthoracic ultrasound sensitivity/accuracy for pneumothorax: 91%/95%, hemothorax: 96%/97%, lung contusion: 86%/89%; chest radiography: 69%/82%, 62%/74%, 25%/43%.
• Single-center design and limited sample size; the authors note need for multicenter validation.

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