Diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound in diagnosing interstitial lung disease taking HRCT as gold standard.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography for detection of interstitial lung disease (ILD) keeping high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan as gold standard. Study Design: Cross-sectional, Validation study. Setting: Department of Radiology, Combined Military Hospital, Gujranwala, Pakistan. Period: June 2024 to February 2025. Methods: A total of 95 patients of either gender, aged 18-75 years, and who presented with suspected ILD were analyzed. All patients underwent lung ultrasound (LUS) followed by HRCT. Data analysis was performed using IBM-SPSS Statisics, version 26.0. The diagnostic accuracy of LUS was calculated for ILD along with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). Results: In a total of 95 patients, 68 (71.6%) were male. The mean age was 64.4±9.5 years, while 63 (66.3%) patients were aged between 61–75 years. Dyspnea, and chronic cough were reported in 85 (89.5%), and 76 (80.0%) patients, respectively. The HRCT confirmed ILD in 87 (82.7%) patients. LUS was positive for ILD findings in 72 (75.8%) patients. The sensitivity, and specificity of LUS for the detection of ILD were 81.6%, and 87.5%, respectively. The PPP, and NPV were 98.6%, and 30.4%, respectively. The overall diagnostic accuracy of LUS taking HRCT as gold standard was calculated as 82.4%. Conclusion: Lung ultrasound can be cost effective and safer investigation in initial evaluation of ILD with good diagnostic accuracy.