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Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Lung CT Segmentation to Identify Consolidations and Ground Glass Areas for Quantitative Assesment of SARS-CoV Pneumonia
Published on: December 19, 2020
Three unsuspected CT diagnoses of COVID-19
David Vu1, Maryanne Ruggiero1, Woo Sung Choi1
1Radiology Department of Maimonides Medical Center, 4802 10th Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11219, USA.
Insights
Radiologists can identify potential COVID-19 cases using chest imaging, even in patients with non-respiratory symptoms. This aids early quarantine and limits disease spread.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, presents diagnostic challenges due to limited testing availability.
- Typical COVID-19 imaging findings include ground-glass opacities, often in basal and peripheral lung zones.
Observation:
- Three patients with non-respiratory symptoms underwent CT scans including portions of the lungs.
- Suspicious imaging findings prompted COVID-19 testing in all three patients.
Findings:
- All three patients tested positive for COVID-19.
- One patient presented with the novel co-occurrence of COVID-19 and intraparenchymal hemorrhage.
Implications:
- CT imaging of the chest, even during non-respiratory evaluations, can reveal COVID-19.
- Early identification through imaging facilitates timely quarantine, reducing further transmission.
- This approach is crucial when COVID-19 testing is limited.
Purpose:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel strain of coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has quickly spread around the globe. Health care facilities in the USA currently do not have an adequate supply of COVID-19 tests to meet the growing demand. Imaging findings for COVID-19 are non-specific but include pulmonary parenchymal ground-glass opacities in a predominantly basal and peripheral distribution.
Methods:
Three patients were imaged for non-respiratory-related symptoms with a portion of the lungs in the imaged field.
Results:
Each patient had suspicious imaging findings for COVID-19, prompting the interpreting radiologist to suggest testing for COVID-19. All 3 patients turned out to be infected with COVID-19, and one patient is the first reported case of the coincident presentation of COVID-19 and an intraparenchymal hemorrhage.
Conclusion:
Using imaging characteristics of COVID-19 on abdominal or neck CT when a portion of the lungs is included, patients not initially suspected of COVID-19 infection can be quarantined earlier to limit exposure to others.
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