A Case Series of COVID-19 Respiratory Infection in Hospitalized Children: Clinical and Computed Tomography Challenges

Abstract

: Our objective was to evaluate clinical and computed tomographic features in hospitalized children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection who were admitted to the pediatric center of excellence, children’s medical center. In this case-series, we report twelve patients with clinical symptoms of acute respiratory infections at the beginning or after admission who have polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-proved (throat swab samples) COVID-19 infection and underwent computed tomography imaging. Six patients had an underlying disease and atypical findings with no clinical suspicion at the beginning. Tachypnea (75%) represented the most common physical finding. Computed tomography was abnormal in 83.3% of patients. Subpleural consolidation, peribronchial thickening, round consolidation, and Halo sign was depicted. The empirical regimen in our hospital included hydroxychloroquine and oseltamivir. Some of the patients managed easily, but others had prolonged hospital stay, especially patients with significant underlying conditions.