Computed Tomography (CT)

Series CT scans in 35-year-old woman with COVID-19 pneumonia. (a) Scan obtained on illness days 1 showed multiple pure ground-glass opacity (GGO) mainly in right lower lobe. (b) Scan obtained on illness days 5 showed increased extent of GGO and early consolidation. (c) Scan obtained on illness days 11 showed multiple consolidation with almost the same extent. (d) Scan obtained on illness days 15 showed a mixed pattern with a slightly smaller extent, and the perilobular consolidation might suggest the presence of organizing pneumonia. The patient was discharged on illness days 17. Image courtesy of the journal Radiology

Two examples of CT myocardial perfusion (CTP) imaging assessment software. Canon is on the left and GE Healthcare is on the right. Both of these technologies have been around for a few years, but there have been an increasing amount of clinical data from studies showing the accuracy of the technology compared to nuclear imaging, the current stand of care for myocardial perfusion imaging, and cardiac MRI.

Flowchart shows time difference between positive laboratory test results and positive CT findings for COVID-19 and adenovirus infection in the study group. Image courtesy of American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR)

Figure 1: Depiction of the fully automated CT biomarkers tools used in this study. (A) Schematic depiction of the automated process for assessing fat, muscle, liver, aortic calcification, and bone from original abdominal CT scan data. (B) Case example in an asymptomatic 52-year-old man undergoing CT for colorectal cancer screening. At the time of CT screening, he had a body-mass index of 27·3 and Framingham risk score of 5% (low risk). However, several CT-based metabolic markers were indicative of underlying disease. Multivariate Cox model prediction based on these three CT-based results put the risk of cardiovascular event at 19% within 2 years, at 40% within 5 years, and at 67% within 10 years, and the risk of death at 4% within 2 years, 11% within 5 years, and 27% within 10 years. At longitudinal clinical follow-up, the patient suffered an acute myocardial infarction 3 years after this initial CT and died 12 years after CT at the age of 64 years. (C) Contrast-enhanced CT performed 7 months before death for minor trauma was interpreted as negative but does show significant progression of vascular calcification, visceral fat, and hepatic steatosis. HU=Hounsfield units.

29-year old male with unknown exposure history, presenting with fever and cough, ultimately requiring intensive care unit admission. (a) Axial thin-section non-contrast CT scan shows diffuse bilateral confluent and patchy ground-glass (solid arrows) and consolidative (dashed arrows) pulmonary opacities. (b) The disease in the right middle and lower lobes has a striking peripheral distribution (arrow). Image courtesy of Radiology 

Images in a 41-year-old woman who presented with fever and positive polymerase chain reaction assay for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Three representative axial thin-section chest CT images show multifocal ground glass opacities without consolidation. Three-dimensional volume-rendered reconstruction shows the distribution of the ground-glass opacities (arrows). Image courtesy of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)