Radiographic examination of the chest and COVID-19

[...]we have reviewed the chest CT findings of all patients admitted for COVID-19 to determine the percentage of patients in whom there was radiographic involvement of the lung fields that remain below the diaphragmatic domes, ie the fields that would be captured in a routine abdominal CT. Of these, 116 (74.8%) had bilateral involvement and 145 (93.5%) had ground glass opacities, the most frequently reported radiographic finding for COVID-19.2-4 These findings clearly show that in patients with COVID-19, the lower lung fields that are detectable with a routine abdominal CT are involved in 87.1% of the patients. [...]it must not be forgotten that the chest CT can be normal in patients with mild infections5 and that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is even less sensitive6; so the absence of any radiographic or laboratory evidence for COVID-19 should not give any false sense of security to the surgeon. 1. Surgical Royal Colleges of the UK and Ireland, Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland, Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons.