Ultrasound evaluation of diaphragmatic mobility in patients with idiopathic lung fibrosis: a pilot study

摘要

BackgroundSome previous works have tested LUS use in diagnosing and monitoring interstitial lung diseases. B-lines are main sonographic signs for interstitial diseases. Increasing evidences suggest that dyspnea and impaired exercise capacity in IPF patients can be related, at least in part, to respiratory muscle dysfunction, in particular to diaphragm functionality. Both B-mode and M-mode ultrasound techniques have been employed to assess diaphragm excursion (DE), which measures the distance that the diaphragm is able to move during the respiratory cycle.