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Updated: Aug 30, 2025
Lung CT Segmentation to Identify Consolidations and Ground Glass Areas for Quantitative Assesment of SARS-CoV Pneumonia
Published on: December 19, 2020
Low-dose chest CT for preoperative screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection
M Barrio Piqueras1, A Ezponda Casajús1, C Urtasun Iriarte1
1Sección de imagen cardiotorácica, Servicio de Radiología, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain.
Introduction:
This study aimed to evaluate the role of chest computed tomography (CT) in complementing reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in asymptomatic candidates for elective surgery in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Material And Methods:
We prospectively included 464 asymptomatic patients who underwent a triple screening workup for SARS-CoV-2 infection (health questionnaire, RT-PCR, and low-dose chest CT) during the 48 h prior to undergoing elective surgery. A positive RT-PCR and/or CT findings suggestive of COVID-19 (CO-RADS 4/5) were considered diagnostic criteria for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Results:
Most patients (64.7%) underwent otorhinolaryngology surgery. No patients had positive RT-PCR results or symptoms suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 in the health questionnaire. Only 22 (4.7%) had signs compatible with lung infection; in 20 of these, the CT findings were atypical or indeterminate for COVID-19 (CO-RADS 2/3) and in 2 they were compatible with COVID-19 pneumonia in resolution. In the immediate postoperative period, no cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were confirmed.
Conclusion:
In our series of asymptomatic patients, low-dose CT did not add any value to the results of RT-PCR and a health questionnaire in preoperative screening for SARS-CoV-2.
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