Trans Thoracic Ultrasound

A chest ultrasound is a nonradioactive, diagnostic, minimally invasive procedure that produces images, which used to assess the organs and structures within the chest, such as the lungs, diaphragm and pleural space.

It’s commonly used to assess the presence of excess fluid in the pleural space or other areas of the chest, especially when the amount of fluid is small. If excess fluid is present, ultrasound may be useful to determine the type of fluid.

Various procedures can be applied using the TUS for example:

• Ultrasound guided pleural aspiration
• Ultrasound guided insertion of chest drains
• Ultrasound guided biopsies from peripheral lesions
• Assessment of diaphragmatic dysfunction.

The exam is performed under local anesthesia and patient is asked to sign a medical consent before the exam for potential side effects and stopping some medications before the procedure (eg. anti-platelets, anti-coagulants)