Two Dutch medical technology firms have developed new software that can analyse x-rays as a method of diagnosing COVID-19 in patients.

Diagnosing coronavirus using x-rays

X-ray technology might be able to help doctors diagnose patients for COVID-19. Two Dutch medical technology companies, Thirona and Delft Imaging, have developed new software that can analyse pulmonary x-rays for damaged lung tissue. The damage is ranked on a scale of 0 to 100, which is then used to determine whether the damage was caused by COVID-19. The software is based on the same x-ray software that is used worldwide to detect tuberculosis.

The new software will help considerably in the fight against the coronavirus, especially in poorer countries. It represents a viable alternative to more conventional forms of testing, such as laboratory testing and CT scans, the equipment for which is significantly less available than x-rays.

The new method provides hope for more rigorous testing in poorer regions around the world. “Many of the measures we have implemented in Europe and the United States are difficult to copy in Africa,” the developers told reporters. “In many countries, an x-ray analysis is used as a standard before other tests take place.” The companies have made the software free for any medical facilities to use.