Current status quo on COVID-19 including chest imaging

Core Tip

Core Tip: As per the recommendations of various national and international organizations, chest imaging [chest radiograph/computed tomography (CT)] is not indicated as a screening tool in asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients or in those with mild respiratory features unless the patients are at risk for disease progression. However, these suggestions remain a subject of debate as many studies have shown that especially chest CT can identify lung findings in patients with negative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction or even before the test becomes positive. An added advantage with chest CT is that, based on the lung findings, CT can classify patients into mild, moderate or severe disease category, as patients with more extensive pulmonary disease may benefit from follow-up CTs and potential management options, taking into consideration that the disease has the potential to cause fibrosis. Several chest CT findings typical for COVID-19 have been reported, with the most common one being multifocal ground glass opacities or consolidation usually in a bilateral, peripheral, subpleural, lower lobe and posterior distribution.