Updated Review: Thoracic imaging tests for the diagnosis of COVID-19

How accurate is chest imaging for diagnosing COVID-19?Why is this question important?People with suspected COVID-19 need to know quickly whether they are infected, so they can receive appropriate treatment, self-isolate, and inform close contacts. Currently, formal diagnosis of COVID-19 requires a laboratory test (RT-PCR) of nose and throat samples. RT-PCR requires specialist equipment and takes at least 24 hours to produce a result. It is not completely accurate, and may require a second RT-PCR or a different test to confirm diagnosis. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease. Clinicians may use chest imaging to diagnose people who have COVID-19 symptoms, while awaiting RT-PCR results or when RT-PCR results are negative, and the person has COVID-19 symptoms.  What did the authors want to find out?They wanted to know whether chest imaging is accurate enough to diagnose COVID-19 in people with suspected infection. This is the first update of this review; in it the authors included studies in people with suspected COVID-19 only; they excluded studies in people with confirmed COVID-19. The evidence is up to date to 22 June 2020.What are chest imaging tests?X-rays or scans produce an image of the organs and structures in the chest.X-rays (radiography) use radiation to produce a 2-D image. Usually done in hospitals, using fixed equipment by a radiographer, they can also be done on portable machines.Computed tomography (CT) scans use a computer to merge 2-D X-ray images and convert them ...
Source: Cochrane News and Events - Category: Information Technology Authors: Source Type: news