tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2020 May 15:1-5. doi: 10.2214/AJR.20.23418. [Epub ahead of print]
Diagnostic Tools for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Comparing CT and RT-PCR Viral Nucleic Acid Testing.
Waller JV[SUP]1[/SUP], Kaur P[SUP]2[/SUP], Tucker A[SUP]3[/SUP], Lin KK[SUP]4[/SUP], Diaz MJ[SUP]5[/SUP], Henry TS[SUP]6[/SUP], Hope M[SUP]6[/SUP].
Author information
Abstract
OBJECTIVE. Multiple studies suggest CT should be a primary diagnostic tool for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) because they reported sensitivities with CT far superior to that of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing. This review aimed to assess these reports and found chest CT to have a clinical utility that is limited, particularly for patients who show no symptoms and patients who are screened early in disease progression. CONCLUSION. CT has limited sensitivity for COVID-19 and a lower specificity than RT-PCR testing, and it carries a risk of exposing providers to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Chest CT should be considered a supplemental diagnostic tool, particularly for patients who show symptoms.
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2; chest CT; coronavirus disease; sensitivity; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; specificity
PMID:32412790DOI:10.2214/AJR.20.23418
Diagnostic Tools for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Comparing CT and RT-PCR Viral Nucleic Acid Testing.
Waller JV[SUP]1[/SUP], Kaur P[SUP]2[/SUP], Tucker A[SUP]3[/SUP], Lin KK[SUP]4[/SUP], Diaz MJ[SUP]5[/SUP], Henry TS[SUP]6[/SUP], Hope M[SUP]6[/SUP].
Author information
Abstract
OBJECTIVE. Multiple studies suggest CT should be a primary diagnostic tool for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) because they reported sensitivities with CT far superior to that of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing. This review aimed to assess these reports and found chest CT to have a clinical utility that is limited, particularly for patients who show no symptoms and patients who are screened early in disease progression. CONCLUSION. CT has limited sensitivity for COVID-19 and a lower specificity than RT-PCR testing, and it carries a risk of exposing providers to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Chest CT should be considered a supplemental diagnostic tool, particularly for patients who show symptoms.
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2; chest CT; coronavirus disease; sensitivity; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; specificity
PMID:32412790DOI:10.2214/AJR.20.23418