Other tests to consider
Test Result
computed tomography (CT) chest
• Consider a CT scan of the chest. It is particularly helpful in patients
with suspected pneumonia who have a normal chest x-ray in order
to detect infiltrates with greater sensitivity.[56] [57] [58] [59] Evidence
of viral pneumonia on CT may precede a positive RT-PCR result
for SARS-CoV-2 in some patients.[60] CT is the primary imaging
modality in China.[61]
• Nearly all patients in the initial cohort of 41 patients had bilateral
multiple lobular and subsegmental areas of consolidation.[4]
However, multiple mottling and ground glass opacity was only
identified in 14% of patients in another study.[5] Small nodular ground
glass opacities are the most common finding in children.[62]
• In one retrospective case series, lung cavitation, discrete pulmonary
nodules, pleural effusions, and lymphadenopathy were notably
absent