Pediatricians looking for alternative ways to diagnose childhood pneumonia may have another effective tool at their disposal: the lung ultrasound (LUS). LUS had high specificity and sensitivity in the hands of trained clinicians, according to a meta-analysis published online March 16 in Pediatrics.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University conducted a meta-analysis of previous research on LUS in childhood pneumonia and found that LUSs accurately identified childhood pneumonia 96% of the time (95% confidence interval [CI], 94% – 97%) and led to a correct negative diagnosis 93% of the time (95% CI, 90% – 96%).