Radiology holds the key in detection of coronavirus – The Hindu

Radiology has assumed enormous significance in diagnosis and prognostication during the COVID-19 pandemic and lakhs of people are slowly but surely becoming aware of HRCT Scan, a diagnostic test conducted by the radiology department.

Although people seldom interact directly with the radiologists, the role that the latter plays before COVID-19 is confirmed as well as during treatment post recovery is undeniable. Their contribution has become more pronounced during the pandemic.

In case of emergency cases such as severe head injury in road accidents, surgeries are taken up after assessment by radiologists using CT Scan or any other radiological investigations. When a person enters a diagnosis room, they usually interact with radiographers or technologists, or supporting staff. The radiographers conduct the process of making a patient or a person undergo the scanning procedure under guidance of the specialists.

The radiographers or technologists send us images of CT Scan or MRI Scan and other radiological investigation reports. We read the images and note down the observations. In case of emergency cases, if a patient needs immediate surgery or other treatment, we immediately call the surgeon or physician after going through the scanning images, said Ravuri Power, general secretary of Indian Radiological and Imaging Association-Telangana chapter. The World Radiology Day was observed on November 8.

Usually, for immediate assessment, the radiology department is placed next to the emergency or casualty ward of a hospital.

When COVID-19 cases started to increase in March and a few months thereafter, undergoing tests was a challenge in the State. Private labs were allowed to conduct tests to detect presence of the virus from mid-June. Until then, doctors in private hospitals heavily relied on High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) Scan reports to assess if a suspected patient had the virus.

Apart from HRCT Scan, radiological investigations used for diagnosing COVID are chest radiograph (X-Ray) and ultra sonography.

Dr Ravuri said that COVID has a specific Computed Tomography (CT) imaging finding which helps them in accurate diagnosis of the infectious disease. Hence, it is useful for excluding other infections based on specific chest imaging findings. Besides, physicians manage treatment protocols based on report from radiologists, he said.

During the treatment too, CT scanning can detect Pulmonary Thrombo Embolism or Cerebral Venous Thrombosis which are blood clots in major blood vessels of the lungs and brain respectively. These COVID-associated complications have high rate of morbidity and, at times, mortality, Dr Ravuri said.

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Radiology holds the key in detection of coronavirus - The Hindu