The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Case Volumes in Aseer Region: A Retrospective Study

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on global health systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate how imaging volumes and imaging types in radiology departments have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic across different locations.

Imaging volumes in the Aseer region (in the south of Saudi Arabia) across main hospitals were reviewed retrospectively including all cases referred from different locations (outpatient, inpatient and emergency departments). Data for years 2019 and 2020 were compared. The mean monthly cases were compared using a t-test.

The total imaging volumes in 2019 were 205,805 compared to 159,107 in 2020 with a 22.7% overall reduction. A substantial decline was observed in both the April to June and the July to September periods of approximately 42.9% and 44.4%, respectively. With respect to location, between April and June, the greatest decline was observed in outpatient departments (76% decline), followed by emergency departments (25% decline), and the least impact was observed in inpatient departments, with only 6.8% decline over the same period. According to modality type, the greatest decreases were reported in nuclear medicine, ultrasound, MRI, and mammography, by 100%, 76%, 74%, and 66%, respectively. Our results show a statistically significant (p-value ≤ 0.05) decrease of cases in 2020 compared to 2019, except for mammography procedures.

There has been a significant decline in radiology volumes due to COVID-19. The overall reduction in radiology volumes was dependent on the stage/period of lockdown, location, and imaging modality.