On diaphragmatic and peripheral muscle ultrasonography in the newborn

Excerpt

I read with interest the paper by Martins et al. on using ultrasonography to establish normal values for diaphragm and peripheral muscle measurements in the newborn [1]. This manuscript contains significant and useful information, as the authors studied a sizeable population including both premature and term-born infants. The measurements are important as they could be used as a normative benchmark for future longitudinal and pathophysiological studies. For example, it would be clinically relevant to use ultrasonography to study the possible determinants of impaired diaphragmatic function in preterm or unwell hospitalised infants, such as prolonged ventilation, immaturity and malnutrition [2]. Furthermore, peripheral muscle assessment might be particularly useful in the postnatal months following preterm birth, where crude weight accretion alone may not always relate to meaningful future clinical outcomes [3]. …