European Respiratory Society statement on thoracic ultrasound.

Thoracic ultrasound is increasingly considered to be an essential tool for the pulmonologist. It is used in diverse clinical scenarios, including as an adjunct to clinical decision making for diagnosis, a real-time guide to procedures and a predictor or measurement of treatment response. The aim of this European Respiratory Society task force was to produce a statement on thoracic ultrasound for pulmonologists using thoracic ultrasound within the field of respiratory medicine. The multidisciplinary panel performed a review of the literature, addressing major areas of thoracic ultrasound practice and application. The selected major areas include equipment and technique, assessment of the chest wall, parietal pleura, pleural effusion, pneumothorax, interstitial syndrome, lung consolidation, diaphragm assessment, intervention guidance, training and the patient perspective. Despite the growing evidence supporting the use of thoracic ultrasound, the published literature still contains a paucity of data in some important fields. Key research questions for each of the major areas were identified, which serve to facilitate future multicentre collaborations and research to further consolidate an evidence-based use of thoracic ultrasound, for the benefit of the many patients being exposed to clinicians using thoracic ultrasound.

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Copyright ©ERS 2021.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Conflict of interest: C.B. Laursen has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: A. Clive has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: R. Hallifax has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: P.I. Pietersen has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: R. Asciak has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: J.R. Davidsen has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: R. Bhatnagar has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: E.O. Bedawi has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: N. Jacobsen has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: C. Coleman is an employee of the European Lung Foundation. Conflict of interest: A. Edey has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: G. Via has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: G. Volpicelli has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: G. Massard has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: F. Raimondi has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: M. Evison has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: L. Konge has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: J. Annema has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: N.M. Rahman reports equipment provision from Esaote, Italy, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: N. Maskell has nothing to disclose.