[Importance of imaging diagnostics in the care of COVID-19 infected patients].

Lovas, András; Hankovszky, Péter; Korsós, Anita; Kupcsulik, Szilvia; Molnár, Tamás; Szabó, Zsolt; Babik, Barna

The recent coronavirus epidemic poses a serious challenge to practicing intensive care physicians due to the high incidence of hypoxic respiratory failure. Because pneumonia plays a prominent role in the critical pathomechanism of COVID-19, imaging studies are at the forefront of both the diagnosis and follow-up of the disease and the detection of potential complications. Reviewing the literature data so far, we present the characteristic differences between chest CT, chest X-ray and chest wall ultrasound, and make recommendations for the use of different examination modalities. The initial, atypical appearance of the viral infection is the CT-detected right lower lobe, peripheral, multifocal milk glass haze, which soon degenerates into a bilateral lesion affecting the middle and lower lung fields. As the disease progresses, the proportion of consolidated areas increases, followed by a fibrotic pattern enhancement. Due to special infection control rules for SARS-CoV-2 virus, bedside ultrasound plays an important role in keeping infected patients in contact with as few healthcare professionals as possible. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161 (17): 672-677.