AIM
To report on a snap audit of all departments in the UK as to the value of preoperative thoracic imaging, preferably computed tomography (CT), of patients undergoing any surgery to assess for changes consistent with COVID-19 preoperatively.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
All Imaging departments in the UK were contacted and asked to record the number of preoperative CT examinations performed in patients being considered for both emergency and elective surgical intervention over a 5-day period in May 2020.
RESULTS
Forty-seven percent of departments replied with data provided on >820 patients. Nineteen percent of additional preoperative CT was in patients undergoing elective intervention and 81% in patients presenting with surgical abdominal pain. There was a high rate of false positives in patients who tested negative for COVID-19, producing a sensitivity for thoracic CT of 68.4%.
CONCLUSION
This UK-wide audit demonstrates that a large number of additional thoracic imaging examinations over a 5-day period were performed with a low sensitivity for the identification of COVID-19 in this preoperative group of patients. Given these findings, it is difficult to justify this additional examination in this group of patients.
【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Intervention, surgical, abdominal pain, Computed tomography, sensitivity, imaging, Patient, False positive, change, patients, Thoracic, tested, performed, provided, producing, presenting, asked, imaging examination, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19 pandemic, diagnostic, Accuracy, Elective surgery, CT chest, National,