Comparison of the Diagnostic Values of Four-Point and Two-point Ultrasound Versus CT Scan in Determining Pneumothorax

Pneumothorax is a life-threatening complication and the most common cause of which is trauma. Early diagnosis and treatment of Pneumothorax are very important. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic values of four-point and double-point ultrasound versus CT scan in determining pneumothorax in Rasul-Akram and Hafte-Tir Hospitals during the years 2015 - 2016.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 880 trauma patients that selected randomly from the emergency department. The study information was completed based on two-point US and four-point US and the patients’ file records. CT scan, as the gold standard for the diagnosis of pneumothorax, was used for all patients. The crosstab test was used for evaluating the accuracy of two methods and to determine the Kappa coefficient level of agreement. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.16 software.

The sensitivity of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of pneumothorax in the two-point technique group was 91.1%, with a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 97.7%. The accuracy in this method was 95.5%. In the four-point technique, the sensitivity was 98.9%, with a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 99.7%. The accuracy in this method was 99.4%.

The four-point chest ultrasound is a high accuracy method for the bedside diagnosis of pneumothorax in patients with trauma.