Comparison of chest CT images between confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19/ 中华放射学杂志

Abstract

Objective To explore the value of chest CT features and clinical indexes in the differential diagnosis between suspected COVID-19 with two or more negative nucleic acid tests and confirmed COVID-19. Methods The clinical data and chest CT images of 105 cases withconfirmedCOVID-19 (55 males and 50 females, aged from 2 month to 88 years) and 97 cases with suspected COVID-19(59 males and 38 females, aged from 1 month to 93 years) were analyzed retrospectively in Shiyan Taihe Hospital from January 21 to February 10, 2020. χ2test and two independent sample t test were used to analyze the clinical data and CT signs of the two cases, with P<0.05 for the difference statistically significant. Results Compared with the suspected patients, the average age of diagnosis of covid-19 was higher (t = 2.460, P = 0.01). The main pathological changes were pure ground glass (68 cases) and mixed ground glass density (53 cases) (χ2 = 50.016, P< 0.01). Interstitial thickening (83 cases) (χ2 = 55.395, P< 0.01), vascular thickening (73 cases) (χ2 = 57.527, P< 0.01), air bronchoscopic sign or bronchiectasis Zhang (67 cases) (χ2 = 17.899, P< 0.01), cord focus (54 cases) (χ2 = 5.500, P = 0.02), easily distributed under the pleura and the long axis of the lesion was parallel to the pleura (89 cases) (χ2 = 23.597, P< 0.01), most of them had no pleural effusion (χ2 = 7.017, P< 0.01); both lesions were mainly distributed in patches (89 cases were confirmed, 87 suspected) (χ2 = 19.573, P< 0.01). In addition, the lesions of patients with confirmed covid-19 showed progress in short term (72 / 87, 82.76%), and those with suspected covid-19 showed remission in short term (63 / 89, 70.78%). The difference was statistically significant (χ2 = 51.114, P< 0.01). There was no significant difference in gender and distribution of pulmonary lobes (χ2 = 1.462, P= 0.23; χ2 = 7.381, P= 0.19). The number of white blood cells (χ2 = 17.891, P< 0.01) and the percentage of lymphocytes (χ2 = 11.151,P< 0.01) of covid-19 were mostly normal or decreased, creatine kinase (χ2 = 9.589, P< 0.01) were mostly normal, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate was mostly normal or increased (χ2 = 4.240, P= 0.04). Conclusions The imaging features and biochemical indexes of diagnosed COVID-19 are different from those of suspected COVID-19. The comparative analysis of imaging features, clinical indexes and reexamination are helpful for the differential diagnosis of COVID-19 and suspected COVID-19. Key words: COVID-19; Tomography, X-ray computed