Lung ultrasound an alternative to computed tomography and chest X-ray in
the diagnosis of children infected with SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review
of literature
Abstract
Abstract Background: Lung ultrasound (LUS) has become an important tool
in diagnosing and following an adult patient with COVID-19; however, the
literature for the pediatric age group is limited. Herein, we reviewed
the up-to-date literatures on ultrasound use for COVID-19 pediatric
patients for better management of COVID-19 in children. Methods and
Objectives: The search terms “COVID-19,” “SARS-CoV2,”
“coronavirus,” “2019-nCoV,” “lung ultrasound,” “sonography,”
“adolescents” “children,” “childhood” and “newborn” were
searched on the online databases PubMed, Embase and Medline. Articles
meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis and review.
Results: We identified only fifteen studies to date using LUS to
diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. These studies involved a
total of 334 newborns, children and adolescents. Regarding the use of
chest X-ray (CXR) and LUS in pediatric patients with COVID-19, we
identified six studies with a total of 162 participants, with the
following results: 33patients(14.11%) with lung abnormalities on lung
US had a normal CXR; however, no patients with normal lung US had
abnormalities on the CXR. In addition, regarding the use of computed
tomography (CT) and LUS in pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection,
we identified five studies with a total of 50 participants and 3
patients(6%) with lung abnormalities on chest LUS had a normal CT.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that LUS is a useful tool in the
diagnosis of children and reduction in chest CT assessments may be
possible when LUS is used in early diagnosis and follow-up monitoring of
COVID-19 pneumonia in the children.