Experts publish new consensus guidelines on use of CT in patients with long COVID
Experts have published new guidance related to the use of CT imaging in patients who continue to struggle with symptoms in the months following a COVID infection.
Published in RSNA’s flagship journal Radiology, the consensus statement is intended to standardize terminology, indications for CT use, acquisition parameters and reporting guidelines for patients with long COVID. The new recommendations help address confusion between interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and post-COVID imaging findings as well.
Some of the highlights from the statement include the following recommendations:
CT use is appropriate for patients who continue to struggle with respiratory symptoms three months after recovering from their initial infection when these symptoms persist for at least two months and do not have another reasonable explanation.
For serial CT follow-up, low-dose protocols (range, 1–3 mSv) should be utilized when feasible to adhere to the standard ALARA principles.
Providers should use terms from the Fleischner Society glossary when reporting on lung abnormalities post-COVID pneumonia.
Instead of “interstitial lung abnormality,” radiologists should use “post–COVID-19 residual lung abnormality” in reports after COVID pneumonia.
“These statements recommend employing terms from the Fleischner Society Glossary to describe CT findings consistently and precisely, avoiding the use of ‘interstitial lung abnormality (ILA),’ which refers to a different clinical context,” explained statement coauthor Anna Rita Larici, MD, chief of the Chest Imaging Unit at Advanced Radiology Center of Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic Foundation in Rome, Italy. “In addition, we have coined and recommended the term ‘post-COVID-19 residual lung abnormality’ to prevent any misleading term when describing CT lung abnormalities following COVID-19 pneumonia.”
The emphasis on differentiating terminology for post-COVID imaging findings and ILDs is critical, Larici noted. Most abnormalities owed to COVID resolve over time, while those related to ILDs progress, requiring different management strategies.
The new statement is the result of collaborative efforts between prominent societies and institutions, including 21 thoracic radiologists across 14 countries. Pulmonary experts reviewed the final statement as well.
To learn more about the latest recommendations, click here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.