The Glide Sign
Why? The presence of the glide sign rules out pneumothorax.
What? As lung slides along the thorax, the pulmonary-pleural line shimmer and glides. Only seen if the visceral and parietal pleura are touching.
Imagine ants marching along the pleural line:
How? When first learning, the probe is placed perpendicular to the ribs. This helps orient you to the various structures. Remember to decrease the depth (4-6cm) to enhance our image.
Important: Identify normal to identify abnormal
This view has been referred to as the “Gator Sign” or the “Bat Sign“
Trick #1: Keep the probe still and tilt slightly to enhance the shimmering of the line
Trick #2: Place a rib in the middle of the screen to scatter the beam & highlight the glide sign
Trick #3: Turn DOWN the gain to accentuate the shimmer of the pleural line.
Trick #4: Place probe parallel to the ribs (rotate probe 90 degrees)
Big shout out to Dr. Jiwoong Her for the POCUS videos and images!
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