Abstract
In point-of-care ultrasound, the artifacts that arise from the pleural line and extend to the bottom of the screen without fading are now known as ‘B-lines’, which are evident in patients with pulmonary edema and inflammatory diseases. Many recent prospective studies on the diagnostic performance of lung ultrasound with B-lines have been published, and it has become evident that the presence of B-lines is useful for the diagnosis of cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Lung ultrasound is promising as a modality for the rapid diagnosis of cardiogenic pulmonary edema in prehospital settings and the emergency room, and for monitoring in intensive care units and general wards. As the use of lung ultrasound at the bedside becomes widespread, preset features of the lung will be needed for each ultrasound machine, and research on quantification of B-lines will be necessary. The appropriate selection of lung imaging modalities should also be considered. Furthermore, large clinical trials are needed to investigate whether or not lung ultrasound for the diagnosis of pulmonary edema improves patient care.
