COVID -19 has created challenges to healthcare systems and its workers across the globe. It has forced hospitals to reorganize their operational workflows, compelled educators to teach in safe-distancing mode, and taken a toll on the mental health of healthcare workers. Given its status as an international hub with close geographical and business ties to China, Singapore was a natural route of early COVID dissemination. As such, SGH had an opportunity to serve as a thought leader in the field of COVID operations, education, and wellness, and influence the early COVID literature in this regard.
Imaging plays an integral part in the diagnosis and management of COVID-19. Computed tomography (CT) has proven sensitive in detecting early imaging features of COVID-19 in settings where virological test kits have been limited or falsely negative. However, chest CT is not recommended in areas of low disease prevalence due to a substantial rate of false-positives. Although chest radiography (CXR) is less sensitive, it is an attractive tool in the initial assessment of patients given its cost, portability, and ease of decontamination. Improved understanding of radiographic findings that are commonly encountered in COVID-19 will aid prompt diagnosis and enhance diagnostic workflow. Moreover, an objective COVID-19 Radiographic Score (CRS) based on the extent and density of airspace opacification not only correlates with the known laboratory markers of disease severity but can also predict the need for supplemental oxygen and ICU admission. A benign clinical course can be expected in patients with normal or very mild CXR abnormalities.
Kindly reach out to Drs Chan Lai Peng, Lionel Cheng, Haja Mohideen Salahudeen Mohamed and Robert Chen for more information.
Dr Chan Lai Peng – chan.lai.peng@singhealth.com.sg
Dr Lionel Cheng – lionel.cheng.t.e@singhealth.com.sg
Dr Haja Mohideen Salahudeen Mohamed – haja.mohideen.salahudeen.mohd@singhealth.com.sg
Dr Robert Chen – robert.chen@singhealth.com.sg
Lim MYS, Bangwei MT, Chan LL, San KY, Chen RC. RE: COVID-19: Indian Society of Neuroradiology (ISNR) consensus statement and recommendations for safe practice of neuroimaging and neurointerventions. Neuroradiol J. 2021 Jun;34(3):257-259. doi: 10.1177/1971400920975190.
Tay KH, Ooi CC, Mahmood MIB, Aw LP, Chan LP, Ng DCE, Tan BS. Reconfiguring the radiology leadership team for crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large tertiary hospital in Singapore. Eur Radiol. 2021 Jan;31(1):468-474. doi: 10.1007/s00330-020-07116-w. Epub 2020 Aug 11.
Huang HL, Chen RC, Teo I, et al. A survey of anxiety and burnout in the radiology workforce of a tertiary hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol. 2021;65(2):139-145. doi:10.1111/1754-9485.13152
Ong SWX, Hui TCH, Lee YS, Haja Mohideen SM, Young BE, Tan CH, Lye DC. High-risk chest radiographic features associated with COVID-19 disease severity. PLoS One. 2021 Jan 14;16(1):e0245518. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245518.
Gogna A, Yogendra P, Lee SHE, Aziz A, Cheong E, Chan LP, Venkatanarasimha N. Diagnostic Ultrasound Services During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2020 Nov;215(5):1130-1135. doi: 10.2214/AJR.20.23167. Epub 2020 Jun 10.
Sim WY, Chen RC, Aw LP, Abu Bakar R, Tan CC, Heng AL, Ooi CC. How to safely and sustainably reorganise a large general radiography service facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Radiography (Lond). 2020 Nov;26(4):e303-e311. doi: 10.1016/j.radi.2020.05.001. Epub 2020 May 15.
Chen RC, Tan TT, Chan LP. Adapting to a new normal? 5 key operational principles for a radiology service facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Eur Radiol. 2020 Sep;30(9):4964-4967. doi: 10.1007/s00330-020-06862-1. Epub 2020 Apr 23.
Chan LL, Tan EK. Evidence of Added Value of Chest CT in Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pneumonia With Initial Negative RT-PCR Results. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2020 Sep;215(3):W41. doi: 10.2214/AJR.20.23815. Epub 2020 Jun 19.
Khoo HW, Hui TCH, Haja Mohideen SM, Lee YS, Liew CJY, Kok SSX, Young BE, Ong SWX, Kalimuddin S, Tan SY, Loh J, Chan LP, Poh ACC, Wong SBS, Leo YS, Lye DC, Kaw GJL, Tan CH. Radiographic features of COVID-19 based on an initial cohort of 96 patients in Singapore. Singapore Med J. 2020 Sep 21. doi: 10.11622/smedj.2020142. Epub ahead of print.
Yong MH, Chan YFZ, Liu J, Sanamandra SK, Kheok SW, Lim KC, Sewa DW. A Rare Case of Acute Hemorrhagic Leukoencephalitis in a COVID-19 Patient. J Neurol Sci. 2020 Sep 15;416:117035. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2020.117035. Epub 2020 Jul 15.
Hui TCH, Khoo HW, Young BE, Haja Mohideen SM, Lee YS, Lim CJ, Leo YS, Kaw GJL, Lye DC, Tan CH. Clinical utility of chest radiography for severe COVID-19. Quant Imaging Med Surg. 2020 Jul;10(7):1540-1550. doi: 10.21037/qims-20-642.
Chan LL, Tan EK. Chest CT in asymptomatic COVID-19: benefits and concerns. Quant Imaging Med Surg. 2020 Jul;10(7):1570-1571. doi: 10.21037/qims-20-654.
Chen RC, Cheng LT, Liang Lim JL, Gogna A, Ng DCE, Yi Teo LZ, Tan BS. Touch Me Not: Safe Distancing in Radiology During Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). J Am Coll Radiol. 2020 Jun;17(6):739-742. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2020.04.019. Epub 2020 Apr 22.
Cheng LT, Chan LP, Tan BH, Chen RC, Tay KH, Ling ML, Tan BS. Déjà Vu or Jamais Vu? How the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Experience Influenced a Singapore Radiology Department's Response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2020 Jun;214(6):1206-1210. doi: 10.2214/AJR.20.22927. Epub 2020 Mar 4.
Tan BP, Lim KC, Goh YG, Kok SSX, Teo SY, Poh ACC, Kaw GJL, Quek ST, Wong SBS, Chan LP, Tan BS. Radiology Preparedness in the Ongoing Battle against COVID-19: Experiences from Large to Small Public Hospitals in Singapore. Radiol Cardiothorac Imaging. 2020 Apr 23;2(2):e200140. doi: 10.1148/ryct.2020200140.
Chan LL, Tan EK. Radiological Response to the Call of the Pandemic: Clinico-Neuroradiological Correlates of Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy in COVID-19 Infection. Radiology Apr 9, 2020 Brief Communication Post. https://pubs.rsna.org/page/radiology/blog/2020/4/radiological_response_to_the_pandemic?fbclid=IwAR0tE9Kzdwk3ofACNzxpg6_FvqsCRl0xMPaJq--Rnu-xamZTcHAbazy9wso
Goh KJ, Choong MC, Cheong EH, Kalimuddin S, Duu Wen S, Phua GC, Chan KS, Haja Mohideen S. Rapid Progression to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Review of Current Understanding of Critical Illness from COVID-19 Infection. Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2020 Mar 16;49(3):108-118.
