COVID-19: Imaging Position

October 2020

Considering the current increase in COVID-19 cases, BSTI has been asked to comment on whether any previous recommendations for imaging have changed. Currently, we do not see the need to fundamentally change advice given during the first wave of the pandemic. Specifically, that CT thoracic imaging should be reserved, in most cases, for patients as part of routine clinical care (e.g. complications, thromboembolism, clinical deterioration), and not for primary diagnosis. In cases of high clinical suspicion but negative, unavailable or delayed RT-PCR, a pragmatic approach for the use of CT has been previously provided and is included below. Separately, we do not believe that prevalence of COVID-19 is sufficiently high to warrant the use of CT to detect asymptomatic Covid-19 infection, or the opportunistic CT scanning of the thorax for patients with an acute abdomen.”

• https://www.bsti.org.uk/standards-clinical-guidelines/clinical-guidelines/bsti-nhse-covid-19-radiology-decision-support-tool/
• https://www.bsti.org.uk/standards-clinical-guidelines/clinical-guidelines/covid19-bsti-bsgar-decision-tool/
• https://www.bsti.org.uk/covid-19-resources/
• https://thorax.bmj.com/content/75/7/537