Radiological characteristics of coronavirus patients

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the radiological findings of coronavirus patients who had positive computed tomography of the lung following real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction testing. The data of 1727 patients who had reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing between May 2020 and August 2021 and had thoracic computed tomography (CT) on Days 7th to 8th were analyzed retrospectively. The Radiological Society of North America’s recommended reporting system was used to categorize CT findings. Of the 1727 patients who underwent RT-PCR testing, there were 1417 patients with positive CT results. Of these 1417 patients, 679 (47.9%) were female. When patients with high blood values were evaluated, the number of CT-positive patients was significantly higher than CT-negative patients (P < .05). The number of patients with low lymphocyte and albumin values was significantly higher (P < .05). In 75.7% of those who had positive CT results, the PCR result was positive. Thoracic CT is a critical diagnostic tool in Coronavirus Disease 2019 patients with RT-PCR negative. It also depicts the progression of lung involvement in RT-PCR-positive patients. Performing it late in the disease’s progression may increase the risk of contracting the disease.