"Lung ultrasound has been shown to be highly effective and safe for diagnosing pneumonia in children and a potential substitute for chest Xray according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Results are currently published in the medical journal Chest. To watch study author discuss this research click this link https Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children worldwide according to the World Health Organization WHO. Symptoms include fever cough and rapid breathing. Chest Xray is considered the test of choice for diagnosing pneumonia in children but the WHO estimates threequarters of the worlds population does not have access to radiography. Investigators conducted a randomized controlled trial in the pediatric Emergency Department at The Mount Sinai Hospital comparing lung ultrasound to chest Xray in  children from birth to  years of age. The patients were randomly assigned into an investigational arm received a lung ultrasound and if the physician needed additional verification a chest Xray and a control arm received a chest Xray followed by a lung ultrasound. Researchers found a . percent reduction in chest Xrays in the investigational arm compared to no reduction in the control arm with no missed pneumonia cases and no increase in any other adverse events.  The research team was led by James Tsung MD MPH Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and Department of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and former clinical fellow Brittany Pardue Jones MD whos currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Ultrasound is portable costsaving and safer for children than an Xray because it does not expose them to radiation says Dr. Tsung. Our study could have a profound impact in the developing world where access to radiography is limited.  Furthermore the reduction in chest Xrays in the investigational arm resulted in an overall cost savings of  and length of stay in the Emergency Department was decreased by  minutes.  In the era of precision medicine lung ultrasound may also be an ideal imaging option in children who are at higher risk for radiationinduced cancers or have received multiple radiographic or CT imaging studies says Dr. Tsung.  As more and more handheld ultrasound machines come to market these results suggest that lung ultrasound has the potential to become the preferred choice for the diagnosis of pneumonia in children. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of lung ultrasound on antibiotic use and stewardship. About the Mount Sinai Health System  The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care conducting transformative research and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient servicesfrom communitybased facilities to tertiary and quaternary care. The System includes approximately  primary and specialty care physicians  jointventure ambulatory surgery centers more than  ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City Westchester Long Island and Florida and  affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked as one of the nations top  hospitals in Geriatrics CardiologyHeart Surgery and Gastroenterology and is in the top  in five other specialties in the  Best Hospitals issue of U.S. News  World Report. Mount Sinais Kravis Childrens Hospital also is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News  World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked th nationally for Ophthalmology while Mount Sinai Beth Israel is ranked regionally.  For more information visit http or find Mount Sinai on Facebook Twitter and YouTube."