Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2012 | Short communication
The V-line: a sonographic aid for the confirmation of pleural fluid
Published in: The Ultrasound Journal | Issue 1/2012
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Background
Ultrasound is being used increasingly to diagnose pathological free fluid accumulation at the bedside. In addition to the detection of peritoneal and pericardial fluid, point-of-care ultrasound allows rapid bedside diagnosis of pleural fluid.
Findings
In this short report, we describe the sonographic observation of the vertebral or ‘V-line’ to help confirm the presence of pleural fluid in the supine patient. The V-line sign is a result of the fluid acting as an acoustic window to enable visualization of vertebral bodies and posterior thoracic wall, thus confirming the presence of pleural fluid.
Conclusions
The V-line is a useful sonographic sign to aid the diagnosis of pleural free fluid.