Comparison of Computertomography Scan, Electrical Impedance Tomography, and Ultrasound of the Lung in Infants

Both EIT and LUS are non-invasive methods and do not pose any additional risk for the patient. The LuMon System with pediatric EIT belts (LuMon Belt, Sentec, Landquart, Switzerland) will be used. The belt will be placed on the thorax circumference of the infant and connected to the LuMonConnector (Sentec, Landquart, Switzerland). Small electrical currents (3 mA, 198 kHz) will be repetitively injected in rotation through adjacent electrode pairs, and voltage changes will be measured by all passive electrodes pairs (scan rate 48 Hz). Changes in lung electrical impedance will be continuously recorded for 5 minutes. EIT data will be analyzed off-line using Matlab (Mathworks, Natick, Massachusetts, USA). The regional tidal volume distribution, the homogeneity of tidal ventilation distribution, regional respiratory system compliance, and alveolar overdistension and collapse will be assessed. LUS will be performed by experienced users, with a 10 MHz linear transducer.