Abstract
In the current coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, certain patients are becoming seriously
ill. Lung pathologies are common, and some patients even go on to develop acute respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS), which requires intubation and artificial respiration of
the critically ill patient. Imaging of the lung is absolutely necessary to obtain
a diagnosis, assess the course of disease and for treatment. Particularly in gynecology
and obstetrics (OBGYN), ultrasound scans of the lung can be a useful additional tool
when caring for pregnant patients in the delivery room. As obstetricians use ultrasound
imaging a lot in routine clinical practice, in the current pandemic setting, routine
prenatal imaging screening could be expanded by the addition of ultrasound scans of
the lung. Lung sonography can offer important additional information, particularly
in obstetrics where the indications for radiation-emitting imaging are particularly
restrictive. If there is a sonographic
suspicion of lung involvement, then, depending on the symptoms and the morphological
extent of the ultrasound findings, it may be necessary to consider admitting the patient
to hospital for close fetal and maternal monitoring.
Key words
obstetrics - lung ultrasound scan - training