Sign
White lung
A lung ultrasound appearance of confluent B-lines that merge and fill the field, hiding the normal horizontal A-lines, seen in severe lung disease.
- Found
- Seen on lung ultrasound of the chest, where dense vertical B-lines sit close together across the field.
- Normal
- Aerated lung shows horizontal A-lines rather than dense vertical B-lines.
- Abnormal
- The B-lines become compact and numerous until they coalesce, leaving no aerated lung visible between them.
- Suggests
- Severe respiratory distress syndrome with pulmonary edema, usually bilateral and without spared areas; pneumonia and atelectasis can look similar.