Nuclear medicine in SARS-CoV-2 pandemia: 18F-FDG-PET/CT to visualize COVID-19

Susanne Lütje, Milka Marinova, D Kütting, Ulrike Attenberger, Markus Essler, Ralph A. Bundschuh

2020Nuklearmedizin - NuclearMedicine54 citationsDOI

Abstract

Abstract The current outbreak of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has reached multiple countries worldwide. While the number of newly diagnosed cases and fatalities is rising quickly, far-reaching measures were enacted to prevent further spread. Diagnosis relies on clinical presentation, exposure history, PCR using specimens from the respiratory tract together with computed tomography (CT) imaging. One of the hallmarks of a critical course of COVID-19 is the development of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). As management of COVID-19 can be considered a multi-disciplinary approach involving various medical specialties, we here review the first 18F-FDG-PET/CT scans of COVID-19 to discuss how Nuclear Medicine could contribute to management of this disease.

Topics & Concepts

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)MedicineARDS2019-20 coronavirus outbreakPositron emission tomographyPandemicOutbreakComputed tomographyRadiologyIntensive care medicineVirologyDiseaseInfectious disease (medical specialty)LungPathologyInternal medicineCOVID-19 Clinical Research StudiesLong-Term Effects of COVID-19COVID-19 diagnosis using AI