Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis

Back ground: Spirometry is regarded as the gold standard for the diagnosis of COPD, yet the condition is widely under diagnosed. Therefore, additional screening methods that are easy to perform and to interpret are needed. Trans thoracic ultrasound is now widely used in all chest fields, COPD is one of these fields in which Trans thoracic ultrasound showed a magnificent improvement and usefulness in diagnosis and severity evaluation it's fast, feasible and easy to perform. Methods: 60 patients were included in the study; they were divided into two groups. The first group included 40 patients which were diagnosed as COPD patients using post bronchodilator spirometry; the second group included 20 normal individuals. All patients were subjected for the following: Complete history taking and clinical examination, spirometry, Trans-thoracic ultrasound Using B mode to evaluate A lines and pleural lines and M mode to assess diaphragmatic excursion, Oxygen saturation assessment by pulse oximtery and Classification according to Gold staging and NYHA classification. Results: The result of the study revealed that there is significant diaphragmatic affection in COPD patients compared to healthy individuals which is correlated strongly with degree of airways obstruction, Gold staging and NYHA classification.Conclusion: Trans thoracic ultrasound is a feasible method to evaluate COPD patients not only that, it also help in assessing disease progression

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