Radiation safety for pregnant women with COVID-19: a review article

In the midst of the catastrophic outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19, potentially life-saving treatments for pregnant women cannot be ignored. Pulmonary infection or pneumonia is a common complication of COVID-19. Radiologic imaging plays a critical role in both controlling the disease and evaluating the consequences of coronavirus COVID-19 pneumonia. Lung ultrasound (LUS) and chest-computed tomography (CT) are the most commonly used procedures to detect and treat COVID-19 and can predict and prognosticate the impact on patients of COVID-19. In this context a deep understanding of the effects of ionizing radiation and its hazards is required and radiological examinations should be used cautiously in pregnant women. The aim of this review is to discuss radiation protection issues for pregnant women with COVID-19 during radiological examination with regard to the effects on the fetuses. An evaluation of electronic databases for publications in English was performed for coronavirus, symptoms, detection, and radiation risk in pregnancy. In such circumstances, international rules or standard protocols need to be established to assist physicians and radiologists in the necessary measures for detection, control and follow-up of COVID-19 during pregnancy. The review found that lung examinations with LUS are an effective alternative to CT.