Dear students/interns, learn ultrasonographic anatomy and clinical ultrasound basics to improve your decision making processes.
The bat sign is critical for correct identification of the pleural line. Always begin lung ultrasound by identifying the bat sign before proceeding to look for artifacts and pathologies.
This sign is formed when scanning across 2 ribs with the intervening intercostal space.
The wings are formed by the 2 ribs, casting an acoustic shadow. The body is the first continuous horizontal hyperechoic line that starts below one rib and extends all the way to the other. (see above video) The body is the pleural line, i.e., parietal pleural. Normally, the pleural line is opposed to and hence indistinguishable from the lung line (formed by the visceral pleura).
