Radiologists use diagnostic imaging to non-invasively look inside the body to help determine the causes of an injury or an illness, and confirm a diagnosis. Providers use many imaging modalities to do so, including CT, MRI, X-ray, Ultrasound, PET and more.
Chest CT is routinely performed for things like lung cancer screening, coronary calcium assessment and pulmonary nodule surveillance, but the modality also can be used to extract additional information.
By highlighting subtle abnormalities that could otherwise be overlooked, an algorithm could potentially serve as an additional safety net when radiographic findings are indeterminate.
Middle-aged and elderly patients had a higher number of lesions on their chest images, along with more severe lung abnormalities, compared to those younger than 18 years old.
More than 90% of individuals with the new virus still had lingering irregularities on their CT scans when they left the hospital, experts wrote recently in Radiology.
A group of Chinese physicians tracked lung abnormality changes in five patients from hospital admission to discharge, sharing their findings in the Korean Journal of Radiology.
The results shouldn't encourage physicians to use the modality for screening patients, but authors said its sensitivity is "unquestionable" and use "encouraged" in specific situations.
The American College of Radiology offered up imaging suggestions for healthcare facilities and said efforts required to eliminate contamination in exam rooms could lead to "substantial problems for patient care."
Radiologists should "become familiar" with the CT findings of COVID-19 and the shortcoming of chest radiographs when evaluating potential cases, researchers wrote in the Korean Journal of Radiology.