Is There a Role for Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing COVID-19?

The article presents the results of the diagnostic protocol for Covid-19 that Libertario Demi developed with a dozen Italian clinical teams that are working very hard in emergency settings.

"For the first time, the scientific validity of the technique we proposed is accepted. We hope our work can help tackle the pandemic," commented Paolo Giorgini, director of the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Trento, which hosts the laboratory.

Libertario Demi told us that he has been in contact with a colleague from the German society of ultrasound in medicine who asked permission to adopt the protocol to implement it in Germany, and explained that Policlinico Gemelli in Rome has already provided some training to medical staff so that they can use these techniques: "We are available to train health care workers and to further develop algorithms that can help them manage the pandemic," affirmed Demi.

Meanwhile, a new wireless probe provided by ATL-Ecografi Wireless Milano was delivered to the University of Trento, on which the software required to make a further step forward to facilitate the diagnosis of Covid-19 will soon be installed and tested. It is a race against the clock: the effectiveness of these new instruments to contain the contagion and improve patients' outcomes also depends on when they will be used in hospitals.

Ultrasound imaging (ultrasonography) examines specific patterns to diagnose patients, determine the seriousness of their condition and hence choose the most appropriate treatment. Ultrasound waves, in other words, are used to 'take a picture' of the lungs and reveal any alterations.

Reference: Soldati, G., Smargiassi, A., Inchingolo, R., Buonsenso, D., Perrone, T., Briganti, D. F., … Demi, L. (2020). Is there a role for lung ultrasound during the COVID-19 pandemic? Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1002/jum.15284

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