Sonographic Findings of Lung Ultrasonography in Paediatric Pneumonia: A Comparative Study With Healthy Controls in Sudan

ABSTRACT Introduction Pneumonia remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. Diagnosis commonly relies on chest radiography or CT, which have limitations including radiation exposure, cost and availability. Lung ultrasonography (LUS) is a safe, portable bedside imaging technique. This study compared LUS findings between children with clinically diagnosed pneumonia and healthy controls. Methodology A prospective comparative study was conducted in Sudan from July to October 2022. Eighty children aged 3 months to 17 years were enrolled, including 50 with clinically diagnosed pneumonia and 30 healthy controls. Children with chronic lung disease, congenital abnormalities, or malignancy were excluded. LUS was performed using a 5–12 MHz high‐frequency transducer. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25.0 andassociations were assessed using the chi‐square test ( p  < 0.05). Results Males accounted for 70% of pneumonia cases and fever was the most common symptom. Mean pleural thickness was significantly greater in pneumonia patients than controls (0.42 ± 0.17 mm vs. 0.30 ± 0.02 mm, p  ≤ 0.0001). A‐lines were absent in 60% of pneumonia cases but present in all controls ( p  ≤ 0.0001). More than three B‐lines were detected in 60% of pneumonia patients and none of the controls ( p  ≤ 0.0001). Consolidation was observed in 10% of cases, most commonly in the left upper lung zone. Conclusion LUS demonstrated significant differences in pleural thickness, A‐lines and B‐lines between children with clinically diagnosed pneumonia and healthy controls, supporting its role as a safe and accessible imaging modality for paediatric pneumonia, particularly in resource‐limited settings.