ABSTRACT
Radiology departments have been directly involved from the beginning of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emergency to provide imaging lung assessment of suspected and positive patients while ensuring the execution of other routine and emergency examinations for non-COVID-19 patients. To limit the risk of the infection spread, radiology departments should be reconfigured. We propose the example of the reorganization of the Radiology Department of our hospital, in the center of Milan, in Northern Italy, which consisted of the creation of 2 completely distinct pathways and distinct radiological machines for COVID-19 positive or suspected positive and for non-COVID-19 patients.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnosis , Pulmonary Embolism/diagnosis , Acute Disease , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/complications , Coronavirus Infections/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnostic imaging , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Pulmonary Embolism/complicationsABSTRACT
Due to the wide availability, rapid execution, low cost, and possibility of being acquired at the patient's bed, chest X-Ray is a fundamental tool in the diagnosis, follow-up and evaluation of the treatment effectiveness of patients with pneumonia, also in the context of COVID-19 infection. However, false negative cases are possible. We report 4 cases of false negative chest X-Rays, in patients who were diagnosed positive for COVID-19 by real-time transverse-transcript-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and executed chest unenhanced CTs just after the X-Rays, demonstrating signs of COVID-19 pneumonia.