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| PICTORIAL CME |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 38
| Issue : 7 | Page : 101-104 |
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Common and uncommon chest computed tomography findings at hospital admission with COVID-19 pneumonia
Rohit Gupta1, Maruti Kumaran2, Parth Rali1
1 Department of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
2 Department of Radiology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| Date of Submission | 20-May-2020 |
| Date of Acceptance | 31-May-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 16-Sep-2020 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Rohit Gupta
Temple Lung Center, Temple University School of Medicine, 3401 North Broad Street, Parkinson Pavilion, 7th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19140
USA
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_400_20
 Abstract | | |
COVID-19 pneumonia is a serious health issue in the current pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. PCR testing is limited due to a number of factors and imaging has role in decision-making for many of these patients. We present computed tomography chest images of patients hospitalized with suspicion of COVID-19 pneumonia and point out the common and uncommon features on imaging to assist management of these patients.
Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019, computed tomography chest, pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2
How to cite this article:
Gupta R, Kumaran M, Rali P. Common and uncommon chest computed tomography findings at hospital admission with COVID-19 pneumonia. Lung India 2021;38, Suppl S1:101-4 |
How to cite this URL:
Gupta R, Kumaran M, Rali P. Common and uncommon chest computed tomography findings at hospital admission with COVID-19 pneumonia. Lung India [serial online] 2021 [cited 2021 Apr 13];38, Suppl S1:101-4. Available from: https://www.lungindia.com/text.asp?2021/38/7/101/295235 |
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the seventh coronavirus causing human disease and is responsible for the current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While the diagnosis of COVID-19 is made by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) viral identification, this has been hampered by the test's availability, turnaround time, as well as low sensitivity. Chest CT has been used for early diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia: it has correlated well with PCR and in some cases better for a diagnostic yield in in conjunction with comprehensive assessment.[1],[2],[3] The spectrum of imaging findings may represent a temporal association of disease onset with timing of CT imaging as well as severity of disease (i.e., cytokine storm).[4],[5],[6] The common findings include peripheral, multifocal, sometimes diffuse subpleural ground-glass opacities (GGO) with or without consolidation, GGO with interlobular septal thickening (“crazy-paving”), and in the later phase, organizing pneumonia pattern and patchy atelectasis [Figure 1].[4],[7] These findings, in the right clinical scenario, should highly raise concern for COVID-19. On the other hand, uncommon findings include lobar consolidation, tree-in-bud nodules, cavitation, pleural effusion, and large lymphadenopathy and should raise concern for coexistent or alternate etiologies [Figure 2].[7],[8] | Figure 1: Non-contrast chest CT imaging from different patients who were hospitalized and subsequently diagnosed with COVID-19: (a) subpleural and peripheral GGO in right upper and lower lobes; (b) nodular consolidative density in left lower lobe (i) evolving into organizing pneumonia pattern (ii) on readmission for worsening symptoms a week later; (c) peripheral GGO with bronchocenteric consolidative opacities on coronal section; (d) diffuse ground glass opacification bilaterally with crazy-paving pattern (red arrow). GGO= groundglass opacities
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 | Figure 2: Non-contrast chest CT imaging from different patients who were hospitalized with a suspicion of COVID-19 but were found to have alternative etiology: (a) pleural effusions (R>L) and pericardial effusion (white arrow) in a patient admitted with uremia and fluid overload after missing dialysis; (b-d) nodular infiltrative change and right middle lobe atelectasis suggestive of post obstructive changes due to compression by hilar mass (black arrow) and lymphadenopathy (gray arrow).
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Chest computed tomography has a value in detection as well as potentially in severity assessment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. This will become clearer as understanding of this novel disease further improves and robust prospective trials become available.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
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