ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the bedside use of the pocket-sized ultrasound (US) device for the detection of the intracavitary effusions. METHODS: We randomly enrolled 40 patients admitted to S. Andrea Hospital of Rome. Every patient received a clinical and biochemical evaluation and a bedside US examination to detect and estimate the intracavitary (pleural, pericardial and intra-abdominal) effusions; the US measurements have been compared to the computed tomography (CT) scans (as gold standard). RESULTS: The patients presented a high prevalence of effusions: right pleural 16/40â=â40% (esteemed volume 236.3±500.7âml, mean±standard deviation m±SD), left pleural 8/40â=â20% (127.0±377.4âml), pericardial 12/40â=â30% (47.5±72.8âml) and intra-abdominal effusions 5/40â=â12.5% of cases (110.9±600.6âml). Linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation between US and CT measurements: pleural râ=â0.973 pâ< â1×10-38, pericardial râ=â0.927 pâ< â1×10-39, intra-abdominal space râ=â0.921 pâ< â1×10-59. The accuracy of the bedside US at the pleural, pericardial and abdominal level was respectively 98%, 93% and 96% (Cohen's kappa coefficient 0.966, 0.841 and 0.833). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed a high prevalence of the intracavitary effusions and a high accuracy of the bedside US. The bedside US by a pocket-sized device is promising tool for its advantages of reproducibility and non-invasiveness of the device.