Comparison study points to better ultrasound sites for canine pneumothorax

Comparison of thoracic ultrasound probe locations may help sharpen canine pneumothorax scans

A pilot study published May 25 in Frontiers in Veterinary Science suggests that where clinicians place the ultrasound probe can meaningfully affect how well point-of-care ultrasound detects pneumothorax in dogs. In thawed canine cadavers with experimentally induced small-volume pneumothorax, the caudo-dorsal border site and a “Modified PLUS” approach outperformed the traditional chest tube site. Across all operators, overall accuracy was 53% at the caudo-dorsal border and 56% with Modified PLUS, versus 34% with the chest tube site protocol; when scant pneumothorax was treated as clinically insignificant, Modified PLUS accuracy rose to 75%. The study used 13 intubated cadavers, 16 hemithoraces, and four blinded sonographers, including two experts and two novices, with horizontal-beam radiography as the reference standard. (frontiersin.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams using POCUS in emergency and critical care, the findings add to a growing push toward more standardized lung ultrasound technique. Existing veterinary POCUS guidance already emphasizes that, in sternal or standing patients, pleural air tends to accumulate in the most caudo-dorsal thorax, and that B-lines can help exclude pneumothorax at a given site. This study supports that logic with comparative data, while also underscoring that performance remained modest overall, especially for mild cases and novice operators. In other words, probe location may improve detection, but it doesn't eliminate the need for training, clinical context, and confirmatory imaging when the picture is unclear. (canadianveterinarians.net)

What to watch: The next question is whether these cadaver findings hold up in spontaneously breathing clinical patients, where motion, distress, concurrent thoracic disease, and operator variability could change test performance. (frontiersin.org)