Lung ultrasound an alternative to computed tomography and chest X-ray in the diagnosis of children infected with SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review of literature (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Abstract Background: Lung ultrasound (LUS) has become an important tool in diagnosing and following an adult patient with COVID-19; however, the literature for the pediatric age group is limited. Herein, we reviewed the up-to-date literatures on ultrasound use for COVID-19 pediatric patients for better management of COVID-19 in children. Methods and Objectives: The search terms “COVID-19,” “SARS-CoV2,” “coronavirus,” “2019-nCoV,” “lung ultrasound,” “sonography,” “adolescents” “children,” “childhood” and “newborn” were searched on the online databases PubMed, Embase and Medline. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis and review. Results: We identified only fifteen studies to date using LUS to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. These studies involved a total of 334 newborns, children and adolescents. Regarding the use of chest X-ray (CXR) and LUS in pediatric patients with COVID-19, we identified six studies with a total of 162 participants, with the following results: 33patients(14.11%) with lung abnormalities on lung US had a normal CXR; however, no patients with normal lung US had abnormalities on the CXR. In addition, regarding the use of computed tomography (CT) and LUS in pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection, we identified five studies with a total of 50 participants and 3 patients(6%) with lung abnormalities on chest LUS had a normal CT. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that LUS is a useful tool in the diagnosis of children and reduction in chest CT assessments may be possible when LUS is used in early diagnosis and follow-up monitoring of COVID-19 pneumonia in the children.