Background: In mid-December 2019, corona virus disease (COVID-19) started in China, with clinical symptoms resembling viral pneumonia including dry cough, fever, fatigue, myalgia, and dyspnea. Ground glass opacities (GGO) on a chest CT sign of COVID-19 infection. This study aimed to: (A) explore the role and accuracy of MDCT in assessing parenchymal lung changes in patients with suspected COVID-19, (B) identify serial CT findings in relation to clinical status with sequential follow up.
Patients and Methods: We carried out a prospective diagnostic accuracy study involving 260 patients (mean age, 48.87 ± 16.28 years old) with clinical suspicious of COVID-19 pneumonia who underwent HRCT of the chest on MDCT scanner. Results: The most prevalent CT sign was GGO 231(88.8%) followed by Consolidation 156 (60.0%), Crazy paving appearance 56 (21.5%), Pleural thickness 48 (18.5%), Air bronchogram sign 44 (16.9%), Vacuolar sign 26 (10.0%), Sub pleural lines 16 (6.2%), Pleural effusion 12 (4.6%), Halo sign 10 (3.8%), and Reversed halo sign 8 (3.1%). 80 patients had GGOs occupying > 4 lobes have classified as clinically severe and 92 patients had GGOs occupying >1/3 of lobe have classified as clinically severe. MSCT had 92.4% sensitivity, 100% specificity.
Conclusion: MSCT has an important role in assessing parenchymal lung changes in patients with suspected COVID 19. GGOs occupying more than 4 lobes and more than 1/3 of lobe have classified as severe infection. MDCT can affect the plan of the treatment either at the hospital or at the home.