Thoracic ultrasound: A complementary diagnostic tool in cardiology

Figure 1 Pleural effusion.

Figure 2 Pericardial and pleural effusion.

Figure 3 Lung consolidation. Community acquired pneumonia in an adult.

Figure 4 B-lines in acute heart failure. B-lines count is a dynamic observation, essentially qualitative, since the number changes continuously - from 3 to 6 or more - in case of numerous b-lines. Identical artefacts are detectable in other conditions, including pulmonary fibrosis and dyspnoea due to other causes, including BPCO.

Figure 5 Disappearance of pleural sliding, better demonstrated by video. Which is here showed as a drop in the continuity of the line, not moving side by side (by courtesy of Giuseppe Molino, MD, MCAU Ospedale Civile di Ragusa, Italy).