Utility of Lung Ultrasound as a Screening Tool in Patients With Clinical Suspicion of Interstitial Lung Disease.

Purpose: The diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) is primarily based on clinico-radiological findings, often requiring multidisciplinary discussion (MDD) for confirmation. Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a safe, non-invasive, bedside tool that has been explored for ILD assessment.

Methods: We conducted a hospital-based, single-center, cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study on patients with clinical suspicion of ILD. All patients underwent routine blood tests, lung function tests, LUS, and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) following a standardized protocol. LUS assessed pleural abnormalities, including thickening, shredding, and B-lines.

Results: The study included 56 patients (mean age 54.79 ± 11.88 years) with a female predominance (57.14%). Diagnoses included connective tissue disease-related ILD (26.79%), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (21.43%), non-specific interstitial pneumonia (12.50%), hypersensitivity pneumonitis (10.71%), sarcoidosis (7.14%), and no ILD (17.86%). LUS demonstrated a sensitivity of 91.30%, specificity of 80.00%, diagnostic accuracy of 89.29%, and a diagnostic odds ratio of 41.55. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for ultrasound B-lines had an AUC of 0.941 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The LUS B-lines score is a promising screening tool for ILD, with high diagnostic accuracy. Its bedside applicability makes it a valuable "point-of-care" test in ILD evaluation.