Quantitative lung ultrasound spectroscopy: a novel approach to differentiate acute exacerbation due to pulmonary emphysema versus pulmonary fibrosis – preliminary results from SAURON Study

The SAURON Study [<ext-link>NCT06068647</ext-link>] explores the use of a quantitative lung ultrasound spectroscopy (LUS) approach to differentiate, during acute exacerbation, pulmonary fibrosis (AEPF) from pulmonary emphysema (AECOPD). Addressing limitations of traditional qualitative and semi-quantitative LUS, such as operator dependence and subjectivity, the study introduces a novel multi-frequency analysis of three regions of the lung ultrasound image: pre-pleura, pleura and post-pleura. These three regions were detected by a semi-automatic segmentation algorithm. This report of preliminary results describes radiofrequency (RF) data from 32 patients (12 with AEPF, 20 with AECOPD). Results showed statistically significant differences between max intensities of all three regions of interest of two diseases. Logistic regression demonstrated a sensitivity of 79.6% and specificity of 64.5% in differentiating AEPF from AECOPD, confirming the potential of quantitative LUS in clinical diagnosis. Future research should focus on validating these findings in larger cohorts and integrating quantitative LUS features with clinical data to refine diagnostic accuracy and facilitate personalized treatment strategies. The proposed methodology represents a step towards overcoming current LUS limitations, enhancing its utility in both research and clinical practice.