Bedside Ultrasonography: AUseful Tool for Traumatic Pneumothorax.

OBJECTIVE To compare the diagnostic accuracy of bedside ultrasound and supine chest radiography for the diagnosis of traumatic pneumothorax. STUDY DESIGN Analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY PIMS and PAEC General Hospital, Islamabad, from November 2014 to August 2015. METHODOLOGY Patients coming to emergency departments of the study centres, who had sustained chest injuries, were inducted. Their portable bedside ultrasound and supine chest radiographs were taken for assessing pneumothorax and subsequently CTchest was done for confirmation as gold standard. RESULTS Based on CTfindings, sensitivity for ultrasonography and chest radiography was found to be 83.33% and 54.76%, respectively and specificity of 100% for both modalities. CONCLUSION Ultrasound can be used as a useful and suitable adjunct to CTin trauma patients as it is easily available, non-invasive, bedside, easily examined with no radiation risk.