Radiographic examination of the chest and COVID-19

• Published in: Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Vol. 102; no. 5; p. 334
• Main Authors: Sayiner, A, Cinkooglu, A, Tasbakan, M S, Basoglu, Ö K, Ceylan, N, Savas, R, Bayraktaroglu, S, Özhan, M H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 01.05.2020
• Subjects: Abdomen; Abdomen - diagnostic imaging; Abdomen - surgery; Abdomen, Acute - complications; Abdomen, Acute - diagnostic imaging; Abdomen, Acute - surgery; Coronavirus Infections - complications; Coronavirus Infections - diagnostic imaging; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; Coronavirus Infections - transmission; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 diagnostic tests; Emergencies; Humans; Lung - diagnostic imaging; Medical imaging; Pandemics - prevention & control; Pneumonia; Pneumonia, Viral - complications; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnostic imaging; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Pneumonia, Viral - transmission; Thorax - diagnostic imaging; Tomography; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; United Kingdom > UK; China; Ireland
• ISSN: 0035-8843; 1478-7083
• DOI: 10.1308/RCSANN.2020.0099

[...]we have reviewed the chest CT findings of all patients admitted for COVID-19 to determine the percentage of patients in whom there was radiographic involvement of the lung fields that remain below the diaphragmatic domes, ie the fields that would be captured in a routine abdominal CT. Of these, 116 (74.8%) had bilateral involvement and 145 (93.5%) had ground glass opacities, the most frequently reported radiographic finding for COVID-19.2-4 These findings clearly show that in patients with COVID-19, the lower lung fields that are detectable with a routine abdominal CT are involved in 87.1% of the patients. [...]it must not be forgotten that the chest CT can be normal in patients with mild infections5 and that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is even less sensitive6; so the absence of any radiographic or laboratory evidence for COVID-19 should not give any false sense of security to the surgeon. 1.  Surgical Royal Colleges of the UK and Ireland, Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland, Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons.