Introduction:
Traumatic injuries have posed severe public health consequences of
mountable proportions globally, accounting for death’s principal cause
in the early years of life. Chest injuries make up to 25% of all
trauma-induced causalities.1,2
Pneumothorax makes up 85% of chest trauma-related cases. It results in
greater mortality frequency and morbid conditions, resulting in an
extended hospital stay burdened with health service expenditure and
decreased productivity.3
It is vital to diagnose pneumothorax patients quickly, as drainage of
the chest may be lifesaving. The first diagnostic technique is the Chest
X rays if clinical examination does not point towards thoracostomy. But
literature evidence demonstrates lesser sensitivity of this method,
along with other demerits like exposure to radiation and requiring
patient mobilisation.4-6
Chest ultrasound has gained popularity off late owing to its
portability, speed, and easy reproducibility. Additionally, it carries
the advantage of not using radiation and allowing real-time scanning and
interpretation. It is successfully used in diagnosing Pneumothorax in
recent years in case of emergency demands.7,8Additionally, ultrasound has emerged as an alternative to chest
radiographs because of its high specificity and sensitivity. Hence, this
review and analysis were undertaken to evaluate chest ultrasound
diagnostic accuracy in the pneumothorax patients’ emergency diagnosis.