Thoracic ultrasound is a rapidly evolving method in assessing diseases of the chest and particularly in emergency conditions for the evaluation of dyspnoeic and hypoxic patients. An increased number of B-lines are an unspecific sign for an increased quantity of fluid in the lungs, resembling interstitial syndromes such as cardiogenic pulmonary oedema. The presence of a B-line pattern allows the differentiation between a cardiogenic and a respiratory origin of acute respiratory failure. Also, ultrasound can be used for the diagnosis and monitoring of pulmonary consolidation, for the diagnosis and quantification of pleural fluid, and for the diagnosis of pneumothorax using the ‘lung point’. Finally, thoracic ultrasound can be used for guided pleural fluid aspiration, closed intercostal tube drainage, and central vessel catheterization.
