Lung quantitative ultrasound presents accurate diagnostic tool

The researchers also demonstrated that the parameters can be used to accurately diagnose and assess the severity of lung diseases in an animal model. The research is detailed in Scientific Reports.

In a statement, Marie Muller, co-senior author and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University, said: “Diseases can affect lungs in many different ways. They can change the microstructure of the lung, the elasticity of the lung tissue, the type and amount of fluid in the lungs, and so on. Each of these changes can be measured using ultrasound. Our goal with this work was to establish clear parameters for these lung characteristics and determine which combination of parameters is associated with different lung diseases.”

Muller continued: “To be clear, we’re talking about numeric measurements for each parameter. So, if there are three parameters associated with a disease, we’d have three numbers – one for each parameter. We can then use a mathematical formula that combines those three numbers to create a biomarker score. That score not only tells us whether a specific health problem is present, but how severe the problem is.”