evaluating the diagnostic efficacy of 12-point lung ultrasound in detecting covid-19 lung lesions: a comparative study with low-dose chest ct scan

Objective: chest computed tomography (ct) scans are the gold standard for identifying pulmonary involvement in pneumonia-like covid-19 cases, albeit with certain drawbacks such as radiation exposure and high costs. this research aims to evaluate the diagnostic precision of a 12-point lung ultrasound (lus) against a low-dose chest ct scan in identifying lung lesions associated with covid-19. methods: the study incorporated 100 consecutive patients, aged over 18 years, exhibiting suspected clinical symptoms of covid-19 or inpatients requiring a low-dose chest ct scan for diagnosing asymptomatic covid-19 lung lesions. all participants underwent a 12-point lus, followed by a low-dose chest ct scan. data analysis was conducted using stata-16, with descriptive results presented as mean and standard deviation. results: the study comprised 60 males and 40 females, with an average age of 43.0±16.9 years. the mean distribution of the patients’ clinical features was calculated. the lus demonstrated a sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 97.5%, 86.4%, 83.3%, and 98%, respectively. conclusion: the 12-point lus exhibited high sensitivity and specificity in assessing pulmonary involvement in covid-19 patients. therefore, lung ultrasound results, combined with medical history and clinical examination, can serve as an effective triage tool for covid-19 patients. the lus, a swift, safe, and effective ionization tool, can potentially replace chest ct scans in scenarios such as ct scan unavailability, intensive care management, and patient follow-up.