Correlation of Indeterminate Lesions of COVID-19 Pneumonia Detected on Computed Tomography with RT-PCR Results

Title:Correlation of Indeterminate Lesions of COVID-19 Pneumonia Detected on Computed Tomography with RT-PCR Results

Volume: 18

Author(s): Nevin Aydin*, Çağatay Cihan, Tercan Us, Yasemin Öz, Çiğdem Öztunalı, Şenay Yılmaz, Füsun Alataş, Sinan Erginel, Emel Kurt, Güntülü Ak and Hüseyin Yıldırım

Affiliation:

• Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey

Keywords: COVID-19 pneumonia, indeterminate lesions, computed tomography, SARS-CoV-2, RT-PCR, GGOs.

Abstract:

Background: The typical findings of COVID-19 pneumonia include multilobar groundglass opacities and consolidation areas observed predominantly in the basal and peripheral parts of both lungs in computed tomography.

Objective: The current study aimed to correlate indeterminate lesions of COVID-19 pneumonia detected on computed tomography with the results of the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.

Methods: Patients with high-resolution computed tomography images that were reported to contain indeterminate lesions in terms of COVID-19 pneumonia were included retrospectively in the study. The lesions were categorized and the patterns were classified. The RT-PCR-positive and the RTPCR- negative patients were compared. P<0.05 was accepted as the statistical significance limit.

Results: The RT-PCR-positive patients exhibited a higher rate of peripheral lesions. Limited consolidation areas were not detected in the RT-PCR-positive patients. In the RT-PCR-negative patients, the rates of acinar nodules and the tree-in-bud pattern were significantly higher. The RTPCR- negative patients had higher nodular contour features and lesion coalescence. In the subgroup consisting of lesions with ground-glass opacities and/or ground-glass opacity around the nodule, the rate of nodular contour positivity was significantly higher in the RT-PCR- positive patients.

Conclusion: COVID-19 pneumonia should be suspected when peripheral indeterminate lesions are detected. When indeterminate lesions, such as tree-in-bud pattern, acinar nodules and limited consolidation area are detected, alternative diagnoses should be considered first, even if there are ground glass opacities accompanying these lesions.

Cite this article as:

Aydin Nevin*, Cihan Çağatay, Us Tercan, Öz Yasemin, Öztunalı Çiğdem, Yılmaz Şenay, Alataş Füsun, Erginel Sinan, Kurt Emel, Ak Güntülü and Yıldırım Hüseyin, Correlation of Indeterminate Lesions of COVID-19 Pneumonia Detected on Computed Tomography with RT-PCR Results, Current Medical Imaging 2022; 18 (8) : e110122200127 . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1573405618666220111095357

DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1573405618666220111095357	Print ISSN 1573-4056
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher	Online ISSN 1875-6603