Computed Tomography Results of Patients with COVID-19: Typical and Atypical Findings

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to investigate typical and atypical thorax computed tomography (CT) findings of COVID-19 pa-tients.

Material and Methods: Thorax CT scans of the patients with reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 between March 2020 and April 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. The frequencies of ground-glass opacity, consolidation, prominence of bronchovascular marking, fibrosis, nodule, septal thickening, reversed halo, pleural effusion and, mediastinal lymphadenopathy were examined. Lesions were classified into the following categories: bilateral/unilateral involvement, peripheral/central involvement, upper/middle/lower lobe involvement.

Results: A total of 53 patients (Mean age 48,38±20,97) with RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 was enrolled in the study. 14 (26%) patients showed no finding on Thorax CT. Among the remaining 39 patients (74%) with findings on CT, ground-glass opacity was detected in 85%, consolidation in 56%, ground glass density consolidation in 59%, promi-nent bronchovascular markings in 28% who have findings on computed tomography. Among atypical findings, nodule was seen in 20 %, septal thickening in 30%, fibrosis in 10%, pleural effusion in 8%, air bronchograms in 18%, re-versed halo sign in 5% of the patients. Mediastinal lymphadenopathy was not observed. Lesions tended to be multifo-cal and peripheral as they commonly located bilaterally in middle and lower lobes.

Conclusion: Thorax CT is a very important diagnostic aid for COVID-19 patients. Categorizing parenchymal involve-ment into typical and atypical findings may facilitate the diagnostic process.

Keywords

• ground-glass opacity
• Computed Tomography
• coronavirus

COVID-19 Tanılı Hastalarımızın Bilgisayarlı Tomografi Sonuçları: Tipik ve Atipik Bulgular

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmada COVID-19 tanısı alan hastaların toraks bilgisayarlı tomografi (BT) sonuçlarını inceleyip, tipik ve atipik bulguları literatür eşliğinde sunmayı amaçladık.

Araçlar ve Yöntem: Hastanemize mart ve nisan aylarında başvuran ve reverse transkriptaz-polimeraz zincir reaksiyo-nu (RT-PZR) ile COVID-19 tanısı alan hastaların toraks BT’leri retrospektif olarak değerlendirildi. Akciğer parankim bulgularından buzlu cam sahaları, konsolidasyon, vasküler genişleme, fibrozis, nodül, septal kalınlaşma (crazy pa-ving), ters halo, plevral effüzyon ve mediastinal LAP bulguları araştırıldı. Parankimdeki tutulum yerine göre bilateral-unilateral, periferik-santral, üst-orta-alt loblardaki odak sayılarına göre lezyonların dağılımı değerlendirildi.

Bulgular: PCR pozitif olan 53 hastanın (ortalama yaş 48,38±20,97) 14’ünde (% 26) toraks BT’de bulgu yoktu. BT’de bulgusu olan 39 hastada (%74), tipik bulgulardan buzlu cam sahası (%85), konsolidasyon (%56), buzlu cam ve konso-lidasyon birlikteliği (%59), vasküler genişleme (%28) izlendi. Atipik bulgulardan nodül (%20), septal kalınlaşma (%30), fibrozis (%10), plevral efüzyon (%8), hava bronkogramı (%18), ters halo bulgusu (%5) saptandı. Hastalarımız-da mediastinal LAP saptanmadı. Toraks BT’de bilateral, orta ve alt zonlarda periferik yerleşimli multifokal odaklar tipik tutulum şekliydi. 14 hastada toraks BT negatif olup herhangi bir bulguya rastlanmadı.

Sonuç: Toraks BT, COVID-19 hastaları için tanıya yardımcı çok önemli bir yöntem olup parankim tutulumunun tipik ve atipik bulgular şeklinde kategorize edilerek değerlendirilmesi tanı sürecini kolaylaştırabilir.

Keywords

• buzlu cam sahası
• Bilgisayarlı Tomografi
• koronavirüs

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