Pitfalls in the ultrasonographic diagnosis of pneumothorax

Abstract

In recent years, point-of-care ultrasound has become a useful technique for assisting in rapid diagnosis or exclusion of pneumothorax. It has been shown to have excellent sensitivity and specificity. Despite this, we present a case of a large pneumothorax that was not detected by bedside ultrasound. We consider the reasons for failure and discuss pitfalls and limitations described in the literature.