# Lung Ultrasound in Pediatrics: A Review with Core Principles That Every User Should Know

## TL;DR

Lung ultrasound is a fast, safe, and accurate tool for diagnosing lung issues in children, offering an alternative to X-rays.

## Contribution

This review highlights the diagnostic accuracy and practical advantages of lung ultrasound in pediatric respiratory disorders.

## Key findings

- LUS has high diagnostic accuracy for lung lesions in neonates, infants, and children.
- LUS is a user-friendly, radiation-free alternative to chest X-rays for pediatric lung conditions.
- LUS supports real-time clinical decision-making and improves patient management in pediatric care.

## Abstract

Lung ultrasound (LUS) has emerged as a valuable diagnostic modality for the evaluation of respiratory disorders in neonates, infants and children. LUS has high diagnostic accuracy for identification of lung lesions in neonates, infants and children, where most lung lesions abut the pleura. Furthermore, LUS has the advantage of rapid execution and ease of use, and does not require ionizing radiation. Its sensitivity, cost-effectiveness, and clinical efficiency make it an important tool for supporting clinical decision-making and improving patient management. Moreover, LUS may represent a reliable alternative to chest radiography for the assessment of pediatric lung conditions and, in selected cases, could potentially replace routine chest X-rays (CXRs). Because LUS is a user-friendly technique that enables real-time imaging without radiation, it has increasingly been used in clinical practice in recent years. Here, we discuss the diagnostic role of LUS for the accurate identification of pulmonary lesions in pediatric patients. In addition, we present LUS sonographic findings associated with common pediatric lung diseases, including signs and artifacts that can be used during diagnosis and evaluation of pediatric patients.