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Case Reports
. 2021 Jun;16(6):1405-1409.
doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2021.03.049. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Management of severe COVID-19 patient with negative RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2: Role of clinical, radiological, and serological diagnosis

Soedarsono Soedarsono  1   2 , Anna Febriani  1   2 , Helmia Hasan  1   2 , Anita Widyoningroem  3   2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Management of severe COVID-19 patient with negative RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2: Role of clinical, radiological, and serological diagnosis

Soedarsono Soedarsono et al. Radiol Case Rep. 2021 Jun.

Erratum in

Abstract

A real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard in diagnosis for infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but the false-negative result is the problem in the prevention and control the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A false-negative of RT-PCR test needs to be evaluated when the patient showed a high clinical suspicion for COVID-19. We report a 36-year-old man with 4 times negative RT-PCR results, but clinical, radiological (chest X-ray and chest CT scan), and serological examinations showed a high suspicion of COVID-19. History of close contacted with COVID-19 confirmed patient was reported, and the wife of our case was also RT-PCR tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the next few days strengthen the COVID-19 diagnosis of our case patient. It is important to use the combination of RT-PCR, chest X-ray, chest CT scan, clinical manifestations, antibodies test, and exposure history of patients to diagnose COVID-19 and decide the early isolation and appropriate treatment.

Keywords: Coronavirus Disease 2019; False-Negative; Real-Time RT-PCR; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.

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Figures

Figure 1
Fig. 1
Chest CT scan on 1st day of hospitalization, 3rd day of illness.
Figure 2
Fig. 2
Serial of chest X-ray and chest CT scan. H = day of hospitalization, I = day of illness, D = discharged from isolation room.
Figure 3
Fig. 3
Chest CT scan on 30th day of illness.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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