Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed an innovative x-ray method for lung diagnostics, which they now plan to test in one of its first applications for diagnosis of the respiratory ailment COVID-19 caused by Coronavirus.
The method could clearly identify abnormalities typical of the illness and involves a significantly lower radiation dose than the computed tomography methods currently in use. Last week, the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) issued the approval necessary for the tests.
Reliable methods for identifying the new Coronavirus are crucial during the pandemic it has caused. In addition to biochemical tests, x-ray methods can also be used to identify pathological changes in the lung that can typically accompany COVID-19. These x-ray methods make it possible to examine large numbers of patients within a very short time, providing results immediately after the examination.
Deflected x-rays expose areas with damaged pulmonary alveoli
Working together with colleagues from the TUM’s university hospital Klinikum rechts der Isar, Franz Pfeiffer, Professor for Biomedical Physics and Director of TUM’s Munich School of BioEngnieering, now plans to test the new dark-field x-ray imaging procedure in the diagnosis of COVID-19.
Source: “New x-ray method for Corona diagnosis ready for patient testing”, Technical University Munich
