Recommendation of low-dose CT in the detection and management of COVID-2019

Excerpt

CT imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis of COVID-2019, especially in the early stages of the disease or with a low viral load; swab tests may be negative [1]. Fang Y et al reported a sensitivity of 98% for chest CT diagnosis of COVID-2019, while RT-PCR serves as the gold standard; its early sensitivity was only 71% [2]. The vast majority, 98%, show bilateral lung involvement. The typical chest CT findings of non-ICU patients are bilateral ground-glass opacity and sub-segmental consolidation, while the typical chest CT findings of ICU patients are bilateral multi-lobe and sub-segmental consolidation [3]. The affected lungs are mostly located in the peripheral zone. Other imaging features include linear opacities, “crazy-paving” pattern, and the “reverse halo” sign [4]. According to the COVID-2019 pneumonia diagnosis and treatment scheme of the People’s Republic of China (trial version 5), imaging features can upgrade suspected cases of new coronavirus pneumonia to clinical diagnosis. …