Rare CT feature in a COVID-19 patient: cavitation

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has spread globally, involving more than 200 countries (1). As of 4 April 2020, COVID-19 has caused 1 017 549 confirmed cases including 53 055 deaths in the whole world. China's experience revealed that lung CT could play a vital role in the early detection and management of COVID-19. However, it is worth emphasizing that to confirm SARS-CoV-2 infection, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test is required. A study reported that the sensitivity of lung CT in suggesting COVID-19 was 97% based on positive RT-PCR results, and 75% patients with negative RT-PCR results showed positive lung CT findings (2). Lung CT findings were included as important evidence for clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 in Hubei province. Therefore, identification of the key CT features of COVID-19 is very helpful for accurate screening and diagnosis.