Abstract
Background: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, first reported in Wuhan, China, has quickly spread around the world within a month, causing a global health emergency. The aim of this study was to image patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 to provide a more comprehensive overview of the disease, in order to help the clinical diagnosis and management.
Methods: In this retrospective study, sample comprised 376 patients with suspected COVID-19 from April 18 to June 10, 2020. Only 187 patients were included with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infection. The chest CT images and clinical data were reviewed and the relationship between them was analyzed.
Results: In total, 187 cases with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were included. Fever, dry cough and muscle ache were the most frequent clinical symptoms. Lymphopenia and an increased CRP level were the most common laboratory findings. The prominent CT manifestations were ground glass opacity (95/187 cases, 50.8%), consolidation (90/187 cases, 48.1%) and GGO plus a reticular pattern (82/187 cases, 43.9%). Most of the lesions were multiple with predominant peripheral distribution.
Conclusion: Chest CT examination has a crucial auxiliary role in the diagnosis and evaluation of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, Coronavirus disease-2019, COVID-19, Infection, Chest CT.