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Review
. 2022 Mar 7;11(2):20584601221077394.
doi: 10.1177/20584601221077394. eCollection 2022 Feb.

Chest imaging in pregnant patients with COVID-19: Recommendations, justification, and optimization

Anirudh Venugopalan Nair  1 , Subramaniyan Ramanathan  1   2 , Prasanna Venugopalan  3
Affiliations
Review

Chest imaging in pregnant patients with COVID-19: Recommendations, justification, and optimization

Anirudh Venugopalan Nair et al. Acta Radiol Open. .

Abstract

Evaluation of COVID-19 related complication is challenging in pregnancy, due to concerns about ionizing radiation risk to mother and the fetus. Although there are instances when diagnostic imaging is clinically warranted for COVID-19 evaluation despite the minimal risks of radiation exposure, often there are concerns raised by the patients and sometimes by the attending physicians. This article reviews the current recommendations on indications of chest imaging in pregnant patients with COVID-19, the dose optimization strategies, and the risks related to imaging exposure during pregnancy. In clinical practice, these imaging strategies are key in addressing the complex obstetrical complications associated with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Keywords: COVID-19; chest radiograph; computed tomography; optimization; pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Diagnostic algorithm for evaluation of pregnant patients with COVID-19 suspected of pulmonary embolism.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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