Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Institute for Onco-Physics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, U.S.A.
In Vivo. 2020 Jun;34(3 Suppl):1681-1684. doi: 10.21873/invivo.11961.
To describe the incidental detection of COVID-19 disease on positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in a patient with cancer despite initial negative swab by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Clinical and radiographic data were obtained from the electronic medical record. Nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained and evaluated for COVID-19 by the Food and Drug Administration-approved reverse transcription-PCR assays. On radiographic examination, PET/CT was consistent with COVID-19-related pneumonia not seen on prior imaging. Initial nasopharyngeal swab 2 days after PET/CT imaging was negative for COVID-19. Subsequent repeat swab 10 days later was positive for COVID-19, while the patient was febrile on screening assessment. The patient remained COVID-19-positive until 1 month after abnormal PET/CT imaging.
PET/CT can be sensitive for early COVID-19 detection, even in the setting of a negative confirmatory PCR test. This highlights the importance of continued patient surveillance and use of appropriate personal protective equipment to minimize COVID-19 transmission.
描述一例癌症患者尽管聚合酶链反应（PCR）初筛阴性，但在正电子发射断层扫描/计算机断层扫描（PET/CT）上偶然发现 COVID-19 疾病。
从电子病历中获取临床和影像学数据。通过美国食品药品监督管理局批准的逆转录-PCR 检测法对鼻咽拭子进行 COVID-19 检测和评估。在影像学检查中，PET/CT 与 COVID-19 相关肺炎一致，但在之前的影像学检查中未见。PET/CT 成像后 2 天进行的初始鼻咽拭子 COVID-19 检测为阴性。10 天后重复拭子检测 COVID-19 阳性，而在筛查评估时患者出现发热。该患者的 COVID-19 检测结果一直呈阳性，直到异常 PET/CT 成像后 1 个月。
即使在确认性 PCR 检测阴性的情况下，PET/CT 也可灵敏检测 COVID-19，这突显了持续对患者进行监测并使用适当的个人防护设备以最小化 COVID-19 传播的重要性。
