Changes in the organs of the gastrointestinal tract in a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19): computed tomography semiotics

Abstract

Introduction. A new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is a pathogenetically complex disease characterized by the involvement of the main human organs and systems in the pathological process, including the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract).Purpose: to study the gastroenterological manifestations of COVID-19 in patients of mild and moderate severity based on the analysis of complex data, including computed tomography examination.Material and methods. The study included 80 patients hospitalized with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 (19 patients with mild and 61 with moderate severity) who underwent a comprehensive original examination upon admission to the hospital and outpatient at week 8 of dynamic follow-up. In the complex therapy of 41 patients, the drug rebamipid was used. The scope of the examination included questionnaires, traditional clinical, clinical and laboratory, biochemical, instrumental and radiation studies, unique methods for studying microbiota and intestinal permeability. All patients also underwent computed tomography (CT) of the chest organs, followed by analysis and postprocessing of images of the upper abdominal cavity. The study also included a group of 43 inpatient patients with moderate severity of the disease, a group of 17 practically healthy patients was used as a control.Results and conclusions. A method of qualitative and quantitative assessment of the state of parenchymal and hollow organs of the upper abdominal cavity according to CT data is proposed. It was found that with moderate severity of COVID-19, quantitative criteria (attenuation coefficient of the liver, pancreas, bile) were subject to more pronounced deviations, as was the diameter of the colon. Additional diagnostic capabilities of the standard chest CT protocol in patients with COVID-19 are associated with postprocessor analysis of images of abdominal organs.