Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, #167 Beilishi Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100037, China.
Department of Clinical Medicine, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, China.
Eur Radiol. 2020 Sep;30(9):4874-4882. doi: 10.1007/s00330-020-06827-4. Epub 2020 Apr 15.
Almost the entire world, not only China, is currently experiencing the outbreak of a novel coronavirus that causes respiratory disease, severe pneumonia, and even death. The outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December of 2019 and is currently still ongoing. This novel coronavirus is highly contagious and has resulted in a continuously increasing number of infections and deaths that have already surpassed the SARS-CoV outbreak that occurred in China between 2002 and 2003. It is now officially a pandemic, announced by WHO on the 11th of March. Currently, the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) can be identified by virus isolation or viral nucleic acid detection; however, false negatives associated with the nucleic acid detection provide a clinical challenge and thus make the imaging examination crucial. Imaging exams have been a main clinical diagnostic criteria for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China. Imaging features of multiple patchy areas of ground glass opacity and consolidation predominately in the periphery of the lungs are characteristic manifestations on chest CT and extremely helpful in the early detection and diagnosis of this disease, which aids prompt diagnosis and the eventual control of this emerging global health emergency. Key Points • In December 2019, China, an outbreak of pneumonia caused by a novel, highly contagious coronavirus raised grave concerns and posed a huge threat to global public health. • Among the infected patients, characteristic findings on CT imaging include multiple, patchy, ground-glass opacity, crazy-paving pattern, and consolidation shadows, mainly distributed in the peripheral and subpleural areas of both lungs, which are very helpful for the frontline clinicians. • Imaging examination has become the indispensable means not only in the early detection and diagnosis but also in monitoring the clinical course, evaluating the disease severity, and may be presented as an important warning signal preceding the negative RT-PCR test results.
几乎整个世界，不仅是中国，目前都在经历一种新型冠状病毒引发的呼吸道疾病、重症肺炎，甚至死亡。该疫情始于 2019 年 12 月的中国武汉，目前仍在持续。这种新型冠状病毒具有高度传染性，导致感染和死亡人数不断增加，已经超过了 2002 年至 2003 年在中国发生的 SARS-CoV 疫情。现在世界卫生组织于 3 月 11 日正式宣布该疫情为大流行。目前，可以通过病毒分离或病毒核酸检测来识别 2019 年新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）；然而，核酸检测的假阴性结果给临床带来了挑战，因此影像学检查至关重要。影像学检查一直是中国 2019 年新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的主要临床诊断标准。胸部 CT 上的主要特征表现为多发斑片状磨玻璃影和实变影，主要位于肺部外周，这是 COVID-19 的特征性表现，有助于早期发现和诊断这种疾病，有助于及时诊断和最终控制这一新兴的全球卫生紧急情况。关键点•2019 年 12 月，中国发生了一种新型、高度传染性冠状病毒引起的肺炎疫情，引起了严重关注，并对全球公共卫生构成了巨大威胁。•在感染患者中，CT 影像学上的特征性表现包括多发斑片状磨玻璃影、铺路石征和实变影，主要分布在双肺的外周和胸膜下区，这对一线临床医生非常有帮助。•影像学检查不仅是早期发现和诊断的不可或缺手段，也是监测临床病程、评估疾病严重程度的手段，并且可能成为 RT-PCR 检测结果转为阴性之前的重要预警信号。
