“EFFECTIVENESS OF LUNG ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN THE EVALUATION OF NEONATAL PULMONARY DISEASE: A ONE YEAR HOSPITAL BASED OBSERVATIONAL STUDY”

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory conditions are the most common cause for admission to a NICU in term and preterm infants and comprise of around 33.3% of neonatal admissions at >28 weeks gestation. Chest radiography is considered as the gold standard for diagnosis of lung disease, but it unavoidably causes radiation damage to the neonate. Ultrasonography is non-invasive, non-ionizing, easily operable and performed in real time, making it an accurate, reliable technique for the diagnosis of neonatal lung diseases. Due to the lack of research on ultrasonography in Indian neonates with pulmonary diseases, this study was done to determine the role of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool in neonates with respiratory distress and decreasing the radiation exposure