They are therefore important supporting signs,īesides lung sliding, in excluding a pneumothorax. Gives proof that the visceral and parietal pleura are inĬontact. The visualization of lung comets or B-lines in LUS Lung comets versus B-lines in disease diagnosis They have no clinical significance,īut it is important not to confuse them with B-lines. Thickness of the horizontal bands that comprises the Zline are testimonial to a reverberation mechanism occurring outside the lung. These characteristics and the varying periodicity and TheyĪre typically weak in appearance, blend with surroundingĪrtefacts (e.g. The PL and do not move with lung sliding. Z-lines are observed as vertical artefacts in LUS, especially in thin individuals. The authors propose the term ‘lung comets’ for the purpose of discussion henceforth. Is currently no specific term to describe this type of CTA, Gives the PL a “beads on a string” appearance. Low frequency transducers for LUS do not specifically It is interesting to note that studies that use Lung, best visualized with higher frequency Lung parenchyma or the inter-pleural layer and the dependence on the apposition of the visceral and parietal pleura for their creation. With lung sliding these signs point to their origin fromĪ reverberation mechanism occurring at the peripheral Similar to B-lines, they arise from the PL and move These are short (almost always less than 1cm) vertical artefacts that taper and fade with increasing depth. In the normal lung, a specific type of CTA can be Often helpful in clarifying the cause of the interstitial syndrome. Prior LUS reports and images are available for comparison.Īdditional US studies such as echocardiography are In patients with pre-existing interstitial syndrome unless In the clinical context of acute dyspnea and desaturation, the utility of B-lines in LUS diagnosis is limited history of pleuritis, thorax injury or surgery, interstitial lung disease or connective-tissue/ rheumatic disease.

clinical information of the patient: oxygen saturation, blood gases, other laboratory findings,.

other LUS features: consolidation, sub-pleural lesions, effusion,.

evaluation of PL morphology : lung sliding, thickening, unevenness,.

The lung fields: patchy, uniform, symmetry,

distribution of B-lines (interstitial syndrome) in.

Information to make a clinical diagnosis: Lung tumors or other pulmonary consolidatingĪs B-lines are sensitive but non-specific for pathological lung parenchyma changes, the findings of interstitial syndrome must be correlated with the following įocal interstitial syndrome may be observed in relation to pneumonia, pulmonary contusion , Lung disease or acute lung injury / acute respiratory distress syndrome. These are examples of conditions that produce a generalized and often bilateral interstitial syndrome: cardiogenic pulmonary edema, acute or chronic interstitial Is not specific or synonymous to acute interstitial lung Ultrasound findings of pathological B-lines. Term “interstitial syndrome” is a description of Positive interpretation in older persons.

and therefore one must be cautious of a false The number of B-lines and the number of chest areas positive for (multiple) B-lines increases with age Per intercostal space may be pathological. AsĪ guide, a finding of a cluster of three or more B-lines In pathological processes involving the lung parenchyma, fluid, inflammatory infiltrates or cellularĬontent progressively increase, greatly enhancing theĮnvironment for the generation of B-lines (fig 2).

Related changes in the lung parenchyma such as fibrosisĪnd sub-pleural lesions account for increased B-lines observed in 37% of the elderly. Of the lung or at the thicker interlobular septa. More likely found in the better perfused dependent areas The dependence ofī-lines creation on availability of a medium that couldĬreate a resonating vibration (bubble-tetrahderal complexes or equivalent) probably explains why they are

Young healthy subjects, are often a transient phenomenon and change with posture. These “physiologic” B-lines, seen in only 10 % of Presence of very few B-lines less than three per field of The normal lung is characterized by the absence or it has a strong light ray-like appearance, obliterating other background LUS artefacts,.it originates at the pleural line (PL),.They must have the following characteristics, in addition B-lines is a specific term for RDA found in LUS and

Comet tail artifact