ROLE OF ULTRASOUND IN EVALUATION OF RESPIRATORY PATHOLOGIES IN NEONATES

Background: Respiratory disorders are a major cause of neonatal morbidity and frequently require prompt imaging fordiagnosis and management. Chest sonography offers a bedside, radiation-free and repeatable alternative or complementarymodality to conventional chest X-ray. The aim is to evaluate the role of chest sonography in neonates with radiologicallydiagnosed respiratory pathologies and assess its usefulness in clinical management. Materials and Methods: A crosssectionalobservational study was conducted over 18 months in the NICU of a tertiary care centre in Sangli, Maharashtra.Sixty-five neonates with respiratory distress were enrolled consecutively. Chest sonography findings were assessed andcompared with radiological findings. Results: B-lines were the most common sonographic finding, observed in 43 (66.15%)neonates, followed by ground-glass opacities in 18 (27.69%) and consolidation in 11 (16.92%). Among pre-term neonates,significant differences between sonography and X-ray were observed for consolidation (p=0.0049) and ground-glassopacities (p<0.0001). No significant differences were observed for pleural effusion or pneumothorax. Among term neonates,no significant differences were found for any assessed finding. Conclusion: Chest sonography is a useful, rapid, radiationfreebedside modality for evaluating neonatal respiratory pathologies and can complement conventional radiography indiagnosis and management.