Department of Medicine - DIMED, Institute of Radiology, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35100, Padova, Italy.
Radiology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova, Padova, Italy.
Radiol Med. 2020 May;125(5):514-516. doi: 10.1007/s11547-020-01203-0. Epub 2020 Apr 29.
The current global outbreak of COVID-19 represents a major challenge in terms of epidemiology, contagiousness, treatment, as well as clinical and radiological behavior of this disease. Radiological imaging plays a key role in the diagnostic process and during the monitoring of the clinical conditions especially of patients with severe symptoms. According to the preliminary data collected in our tertiary center, we have documented a peculiar behavior in patients requiring endotracheal intubation who underwent seriate chest X-rays. In fact, the radiological pattern of COVID-19 patients may worsen despite a prompt amelioration after the onset of mechanical ventilation. Thus, according to our initial evidence, we recommend to perform seriate chest X-rays in the days following the onset of mechanical ventilation even if the immediate monitoring suggests an improvement. Studies on a larger scale are necessary to fully assess the findings at chest radiographs of critical, mechanically ventilated patients and their correlation with the long-term outcome.
当前 COVID-19 的全球爆发在流行病学、传染性、治疗以及这种疾病的临床和影像学表现方面都构成了重大挑战。影像学检查在诊断过程中以及对重症患者临床情况的监测中发挥着关键作用。根据我们的三级中心收集的初步数据，我们记录了需要进行气管插管的患者在进行连续胸部 X 光检查时的一种特殊表现。事实上，尽管在机械通气开始后迅速改善，但 COVID-19 患者的影像学模式可能会恶化。因此，根据我们的初步证据，我们建议即使在直接监测提示改善的情况下，也要在机械通气开始后的几天内进行连续胸部 X 光检查。需要进行更大规模的研究来充分评估重症、机械通气患者的胸部 X 光片检查结果及其与长期预后的相关性。
