An Overview on X-Ray Diagnostic Findings in Covid-19 Patients

Coronavirus has widely spread around the world in a short time. The disease is caused by the novel SARS-COV-2 virus that targets mainly the respiratory system, with manifestations ranging from asymptomatic or mild symptoms to severe bronchopneumonia and impaired respiratory system. The definitive diagnosis is reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain-reaction assay (RT-PCR). Imaging aids in the evaluation and assessment of the disease progression, with CT scan being superior to other modalities. Chest X-ray has lower efficiency than CT scan, particularly in the early stage of the disease. However, it can be useful in the emergency setting and high influx of patients, and limited resources. We aimed to review the literature for the role of chest imaging in the diagnosis and assessment of disease severity of COVID-19, in comparison with CT imaging. PubMed database was utilized for articles selection, and selected papers had undergone a thorough review. Chest imaging plays an important role in the evaluation assessment of the disease severity of COVID-19 individuals. CT scan is superiorly effective to other radiological tools in assessing the disease progression. While CXR is lower than CT in this aspect, it is still appropriate to use when CT is not applicable in an emergency, or high load of patients, or when it is unavailable.