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Figure 2 | Annals of Intensive Care

Figure 2

From: Lung ultrasound in the critically ill

Figure 2

Normal lung surface. Left: Scan of the intercostal space. The ribs (vertical arrows). Rib shadows are displayed below. The pleural line (upper, horizontal arrows), a horizontal hyperechoic line, half a centimeter below the rib line in adults. The proportions are the same in neonates. The association of ribs and pleural line make a solid landmark called the bat sign. The pleural line indicates the parietal pleura in all cases. Below the pleural line, this horizontal repetition artifact of the pleural line has been called the A-line (lower, small horizontal arrows). The A-line indicates that air (gas more precisely) is the component visible below the pleural line. Right: M-mode reveals the seashore sign, which indicates that the lung moves at the chest wall. The seashore sign therefore indicates that the pleural line also is the visceral pleura. Above the pleural line, the motionless chest wall displays a stratified pattern. Below the pleural line, the dynamics of lung sliding show this sandy pattern. Note that both images are strictly aligned, of importance in critical settings. Both images, i.e., lung sliding plus A-lines make the A-profile (when found at the anterior chest wall). They give basic information on the level of capillary pressure. Extract from “Whole body ultrasonography in the critically ill” (2010 Ed, Chapter 14), with kind permission of Springer Science.

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