COVID-19 screening by CT scan . YES or NO ?!

COVID-19 screening by CT scan . YES or NO ?!
fatemeh emamverdian,^1,* zahra hosienzade,²
1. Tabriz University of Medical Sciences
2. Tabriz University of Medical Sciences
Introduction: COVID-19 was declared an epidemic on March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organization. In the absence of drug intervention as well as the lack of an effective vaccine against COVID-19 , the only solution against the disease is to separate susceptible and diseased individuals by finding a safe and convenient screening method. From the earliest days of COVID-19 Pandemic, CT scans have played a key role in the rapid and reliable diagnosis. In this study, we want to answer the question ‘’ is CT scan a Reasonable method for COVID-19 screening? ‘’
Methods: In this review, we searched for COVID-19 screening, The role of CT scan in COVID-19, Disadvantages of CT scan, Diagnosis of COVID-19 in websites such as the Pub Med and Google Scholar. Finally, 38 papers in English and Persian were used for the regulation of the article.
Results: The present study indicates that, From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that pulmonary symptoms, including GGo(Ground-glass opacification), were the best way to diagnose the disease quickly and People who suspect COVID-19, should have a CT scan to make sure and start the treatment process. CT scan with its special features including: 97% diagnostic accuracy, Diagnosis before symptoms occur, Availability and high speed in disease diagnosis is a sensible way to diagnose COVID-19; However, There are problems with using computed tomography imaging as a screening tool. During the CT scan, the patient is given 8 mSV ( unit of ionizing radiation dose in SI ) for each lung CT scan. To imagine its greatness, it can be said that in a Plain radiograph of the lung, 0.02 mSV are given to the patient. Ionizing beams have many detrimental effects on body cells. They can cause cancer by damaging DNA. During a pandemic, a person may be screened several times. If we use CT scan as a screening tool, with increasing the number of CT scans, the risk of cancer increases and these complications are more severe in children and adolescents.
Conclusion: According to studies and articles, Due to the Possibility of radiation damage and non-reproducibility, CT scan is not a reasonable and safe method for screening against COVID-19 and this test should be performed only if a person is suspected of having the COVID-19 or in groups sensitive to this disease. Remember that unnecessary CT scans should always be avoided.
Keywords: COVID-19 screening, The role of CT scan in COVID-19, Disadvantages of CT scan, Diagnosis of COVID-19