Published online Nov 26, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i22.5501
Peer-review started: May 5, 2020
First decision: September 14, 2020
Revised: September 21, 2020
Accepted: October 12, 2020
Article in press: October 12, 2020
Published online: November 26, 2020
Processing time: 204 Days and 3.2 Hours
Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is spreading throughout the world. Chest radiography and computed tomography play an important role in disease diagnosis, differential diagnosis, severity evaluation, prognosis prediction, therapeutic effects assessment and follow-up of patients with COVID-19. In this review, we summarize knowledge of COVID-19 pneumonia that may help improve the abilities of radiologists to diagnose and evaluate this highly infectious disease, which is essential for epidemic control and preventing new outbreaks in the short term.
Core Tip: Viral nucleic acid testing is the gold standard of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), while chest radiography and computed tomography play an important role in disease diagnosis, differential diagnosis, severity evaluation, prognosis prediction, therapeutic effects assessment and follow-up of patients with COVID-19. Combining imaging manifestations with the epidemiology, etiology, pathology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations and pathogen test is required for a radiologist to make an early diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia and monitor the course of disease. We herein elaborate on what radiologists need to know about COVID-19.