- Chest CT and Chest X-Ray (CXR) are not routinely indicated in patients with or suspected with COVID-19
- Imaging is indicated in patients with moderate or severe forms of COVID-19, deterioration of respiratory function, high risk of disease progression or complications.
- Hospitals or clinics should prioritize portable CXRs, when they are considered medically necessary, in order to limit disease transmission due to patient movement.
- In patients suspected with COVID-19, chest CT has been increasing, leading to more incidental findings. However, if a radiologist decides to mention COVID-19 in his CT report, he should communicate beforehand with the referring provider to discuss the likelihood of viral infection.
- Currently, there is limited experience for pulmonary ultrasound in COVID-19 patients. This modality could be eventually used as a potential triage and diagnostic tool.
This data was provided by :
- A consensus statement article by the Fleischner Society.
- A consensus statement article from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)
- A statement provided by the American College of Radiology (ACR)
- A statement provided by the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) and the Canadian Society of Thoracic Radiology
Sources :
- Rubin, G., Ryerson, C., Haramati, L., Sverzellati, N., Kanne, J., & Raoof, S. et al. (2020). The Role of Chest Imaging in Patient Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multinational Consensus Statement from the Fleischner Society. Chest. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2020.04.003. Retrieved from : https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2020201365
- Simpson, S., Kay, F., Abbara, S., Bhalla, S., Chung, J., & Chung, M. et al. (2020). Radiological Society of North America Expert Consensus Statement on Reporting Chest CT Findings Related to COVID-19. Endorsed by the Society of Thoracic Radiology, the American College of Radiology, and RSNA. Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, 2(2), e200152. doi: 10.1148/ryct.2020200152. Retrieved from : https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/ryct.2020200152
- ACR Recommendations for the use of Chest Radiography and Computed Tomography (CT) for Suspected COVID-19 Infection. (2020). Retrieved 14 April 2020, from https://www.acr.org/Advocacy-and-Economics/ACR-Position-Statements/Recommendations-for-Chest-Radiography-and-CT-for-Suspected-COVID19-Infection
- Déclaration de la Canadian Society of Thoracic Radiology et de l’Association canadienne des radiologistes relative au COVID-19 – CAR – Canadian Association of Radiologists. (2020). Retrieved 14 April 2020, from https://car.ca/fr/nouvelles/declaration-de-la-canadian-society-of-thoracic-radiology-et-de-lassociation-canadienne-des-radiologistes-relative-au-covid-19/