Journal of thoracic imaging
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The COVID-19 global pandemic has emerged as an unprecedented health care crisis. To reduce risks of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 transmission in the Radiology Department, this article describes measures to increase the preparedness of Radiology Department, such as careful screening of staff and patients, thorough disinfection of equipments and rooms, appropriate use of personal protection equipment, and early isolation of patients with incidentally detected computed tomography findings suspicious for COVID-19. The familiarity of radiologists with clinical and imaging manifestations of COVID-19 pneumonia and their prognostic implications is essential to provide optimal care to patients.
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Observational Study
Diagnostic Performance of Chest X-Ray for COVID-19 Pneumonia During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in Lombardy, Italy.
Chest x-ray (CXR) can play a role in diagnosing patients with suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but only few small-scale studies are available. We assessed the diagnostic performance of CXR in consecutive patients presenting at the emergency room at the Policlinico San Donato, Milan, Italy from February 24 to April 8, 2020 for suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. The results of CXR were classified as positive or negative according to the original prospective radiologic reports. ⋯ Thus, we included 535 patients with concomitant CXR and RT-PCR on admission (aged 65±17 y; 340 males, 195 females), resulting in 408 RT-PCR positive and 127 negative patients at the composite reference standard. Original CXR reports showed an 89.0% sensitivity (95% confidence intervals [CI], 85.5%-91.8%), 60.6% specificity (95% CI, 51.6%-69.2%), 87.9% positive predictive value (95% CI, 84.4%-90.9%), and 63.1% negative predictive value (95% CI, 53.9%-71.7%). The adoption of CXR alongside RT-PCR to triage patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection could foster a safe and efficient workflow, counteracting possible false negative RT-PCR results.
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Comparative Study
Thoracic Radiologists' Versus Computer Scientists' Perspectives on the Future of Artificial Intelligence in Radiology.
There is intense interest and speculation in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to radiology. The goals of this investigation were (1) to assess thoracic radiologists' perspectives on the role and expected impact of AI in radiology, and (2) to compare radiologists' perspectives with those of computer science (CS) experts working in the AI development. ⋯ Thoracic radiologists and CS experts are generally positive on the impact of AI in radiology. However, a larger percentage, but still small minority, of computer scientists predict radiologist obsolescence in 10 to 20 years. As the future of AI in radiology unfolds, this study presents a historical timestamp of which group of experts' perceptions were closer to eventual reality.
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Review
Computed Tomography Features of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Review for Radiologists.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia has become a global pandemic. Although the rate of new infections in China has decreased, currently, 169 countries report confirmed cases, with many nations showing increasing numbers daily. Testing for COVID-19 infection is performed via reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, but availability is limited in many parts of the world. ⋯ Specifically, patchy ground-glass opacities in the periphery of the lower lungs may be present initially, eventually undergoing coalescence, consolidation, and organization, and ultimately showing features of fibrosis. In this article, we review the computed tomography features of COVID-19 infection. Familiarity with these findings and their evolution will help radiologists recognize potential COVID-19 and recognize the significant overlap with other causes of acute lung injury.