Login Register Cart 0
Generic placeholder image

Current Medical Imaging

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1573-4056
ISSN (Online): 1875-6603

Back
Journal Home About Journal Editorial Board Journal Insight Current Issue Volumes/Issues
Subscribe
Review Article

Key Radiological Features of COVID-19 Chest CT Scans with a Focus on Special Subgroups: A Literature Review

Author(s): Noor Nouaili, Rachael Garner, Sana Salehi, Marianna La Rocca and Dominique Duncan*

Volume 19, Issue 5, 2023

Published on: 13 September, 2022

Article ID: e200622206200 Pages: 14

DOI: 10.2174/1573405618666220620125332

Price: $65

Abstract

Background: In 2019, a series of novel pneumonia cases later known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) were reported in Wuhan, China. Chest computed tomography (CT) has played a key role in the management and prognostication of COVID-19 patients. CT has demonstrated 98% sensitivity in detecting COVID-19, including identifying lung abnormalities that are suggestive of COVID-19, even among asymptomatic individuals.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature review of 17 published studies, focusing on three subgroups, pediatric patients, pregnant women, and patients over 60 years old, to identify key characteristics of chest CT in COVID-19 patients.

Results: Our comprehensive review of the 17 studies concluded that the main CT imaging finding is ground glass opacities (GGOs) regardless of patient age. We also identified that crazy paving pattern, reverse halo sign, smooth or irregular septal thickening, and pleural thickening may serve as indicators of disease progression. Lesions on CT scans were dominantly distributed in the peripheral zone with multilobar involvement, specifically concentrated in the lower lobes. In the patients over 60 years old, the proportion of substantial lobe involvement was higher than the control group and crazy paving signs, bronchodilation, and pleural thickening were more commonly present.

Conclusion: Based on all 17 studies, CT findings in COVID-19 have shown a predictable pattern of evolution over the disease. These studies have proven that CT may be an effective approach for early screening and detection of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Lung, Pneumonia, Viral, Pandemics

[1]
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) - World Health Organization (WHO). Available from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel- (Accessed on March 16, 2021).
[2]
Bai H, Hsieh B, Xiong Z, et al. Performance of radiologists in differentiating COVID-19 from viral pneumonia on chest CT. Radiology 2020; 200823.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2020200823]
[3]
Liu H, Liu F, Li J, Zhang T, Wang D, Lan W. Clinical and CT imaging features of the COVID-19 pneumonia: Focus on pregnant women and children. J Infect 2020; 80(5): e7-e13.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2020.03.007] [PMID: 32171865]
[4]
Ali RMM, Ghonimy MBI. Radiological findings spectrum of asymptomatic coronavirus (COVID-19) patients. Egypt J Radiol Nucl Med 2020; 51(1): 156.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s43055-020-00266-3]
[5]
Shi H, Han X, Jiang N, et al. Radiological findings from 81 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in Wuhan, China: A descriptive study. Lancet Infect Dis 2020; 20(4): 425-34.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30086-4] [PMID: 32105637]
[6]
Pasławski M, Kurys E, Złomaniec J. Differentiation of linear and reticular opacities in high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in interstitial lung diseases. Ann Univ Mariae Curie Sklodowska Med 2003; 58(2): 378-85.
[PMID: 15323222]
[7]
Meng H, Xiong R, He R, et al. CT imaging and clinical course of asymptomatic cases with COVID-19 pneumonia at admission in Wuhan, China. J Infect 2020; 81(1): e33-9.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2020.04.004] [PMID: 32294504]
[8]
Chung M, Bernheim A, Mei X, et al. CT imaging features of 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Radiology 2020; 200230.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2020200230]
[9]
Song F, Shi N, Shan F, et al. Emerging Coronavirus 2019-nCoV Pneumonia. Radiology 2020; 200274.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2020200274]
[10]
Zhao W, Zhong Z, Xie X, Yu Q, Liu J. Relation between chest CT findings and clinical conditions of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pneumonia: A Multicenter Study. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2020; 214(5): 1072-7.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2214/AJR.20.22976] [PMID: 32125873]
[11]
Salvatore C, Roberta F, Angela L, et al. Clinical and laboratory data, radiological structured report findings and quantitative evaluation of lung involvement on baseline chest CT in COVID-19 patients to predict prognosis. Radiol Med (Torino) 2021; 126(1): 29-39.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11547-020-01293-w] [PMID: 33047295]
[12]
Wang Y, Dong C, Hu Y, et al. Temporal changes of CT findings in 90 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia: A longitudinal study. Radiology 2020; 200843.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2020200843]
[13]
Xiang C, Lu J, Zhou J, Guan L, Yang C, Chai C. CT findings in a novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pneumonia at initial presentation. BioMed Res Int 2020; 2020: 5436025.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/5436025]
[14]
Pan F, Ye T, Sun P, et al. Time course of lung changes on chest CT during recovery from 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pneumonia. Radiology 2020; 200370.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2020200370]
[15]
Carotti M, Salaffi F, Sarzi-Puttini P, et al. Chest CT features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia: Key points for radiologists. Radiol Med (Torino) 2020; 1-11.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11547-020-01237-4]
[16]
Nemec SF, Bankier AA, Eisenberg RL. Lower lobe-predominant diseases of the lung. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2013; 200(4): 712-28.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.2214/AJR.12.9253] [PMID: 23521438]
[17]
Pleural Effusion. WebMD. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/lung/pleural-effusionsymptoms- (Accessed on March 15).
[18]
Assaker R, Colas A-E, Julien-Marsollier F, et al. Presenting symptoms of COVID-19 in children: A meta-analysis of published studies. Br J Anaesth 2020; 125(3): e330-2.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.026] [PMID: 32534738]
[19]
Poline J, Gaschignard J, Leblanc C, et al. Systematic SARS-CoV-2 screening at hospital admission in children:a French prospective multi-center study. Clin Infect Dis Off Publ Infect Dis Soc Am 2020.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1044]
[20]
Xia W, Shao J, Guo Y, Peng X, Li Z, Hu D. Clinical and CT features in pediatric patients with COVID-19 infection: Different points from adults. Pediatr Pulmonol 2020; 55(5): 1169-74.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ppul.24718] [PMID: 32134205]
[21]
Bayramoglu Z. Canıpek E, Comert RG, et al. Imaging Features of pediatric COVID-19 on chest radiography and chest CT: A retrospective, single-center study. Acad Radiol 2021; 28(1): 18-27.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2020.10.002] [PMID: 33067091]
[22]
Ma H, Hu J, Tian J, et al. A single-center, retrospective study of COVID-19 features in children: A descriptive investigation. BMC Med 2020; 18(1): 123.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01596-9] [PMID: 32370747]
[23]
Chen H, Guo J, Wang C, et al. Clinical characteristics and intrauterine vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection in nine preg-nant women: A retrospective review of medical records. Lancet 2020; 395(10226): 809-15.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30360-3] [PMID: 32151335]
[24]
Zhu T, Wang Y, Zhou S, Zhang N, Xia L. A Comparative study of chest computed comography features in young and older adults with Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19). J Thorac Imaging 2020; 35(4): W97-W101.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/RTI.0000000000000513] [PMID: 32235187]
[25]
Wang J, Zhu X, Xu Z, et al. Clinical and CT findings of COVID-19: Differences among three age groups. BMC Infect Dis 2020; 20(1): 434.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12879-020-05154-9] [PMID: 32571228]
[26]
CDC. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)- Symptoms. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2021. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html (Accessed on March 26, 2021).
[27]
Vijayakumar B, Tonkin J, Devaraj A, et al. CT lung abnormalities after covid-19 at 3 months and 1 year after hospital discharge. Radiology 2021; 211746.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2021211746] [PMID: 34609195]
[28]
Chen Y, Ding C, Yu L, et al. One-year follow-up of chest CT findings in patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection. BMC Med 2021; 19(1): 191.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12916-021-02056-8] [PMID: 34365975]
[29]
Dawoud MM, Dawoud TM, Ali NY, Nagy HA. Chest CT in covid-19 pneumonia: A correlation of lung abnormalities with duration and severity of symptoms. Egypt J Radiol Nucl Med 2020; 51(1)
[30]
COVID-ARC. Available from: arc.loni.usc.edu/ (Accessed on March 15, 2021).
[31]
Li Y, Cao J, Zhang X, Liu G, Wu X, Wu B. Chest CT imaging characteristics of COVID-19 pneumonia in preschool children: A retrospective study. BMC Pediatr 2020; 20(1): 227.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12887-020-02140-7] [PMID: 32423435]

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
Article Metrics
1
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy