Chest CT-scan findings in COVID-19 patients: Relationship between the duration of symptoms and correlation with the oxygen saturation level

Abstract

"Abstract: Purpose: This study is carried out to evaluate the diagnostic value of using common features of computed tomography (CT) imaging in COVID-19 disease, and to assess the relationship between blood oxygen saturation level and severity of CT findings. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, the chest CT of 173 test-confirmed COVID-19 patients have been evaluated to determine the patterns of involvement in multiple phases of illness. Then, the correlation between the severity of lung involvement and oxygen saturation levels has been assessed. Results: The chest CT results show that 87.6% of patients had GGO, which was the most common pattern in our findings. 83.8% of patients had bilateral lung involvement with the dominant multifocal and peripheral distribution. peribronchovascular involvement was also a common finding in our study (47.2 %). we found predominantly peribronchovascular view in 3 patients (1.7%), pleural effusion in 4 patients (2.3%), lymphadenopathy in 10 patients (5.8%), the tree in the bud in one patient (0.6%), and nodules in 4 patients (2.3%). We also found that GGO is the most common pattern during the early phase of the disease (97.4% of early phase cases). However, in the intermediate and late phases, consolidation and crazy paving patterns are more common. Moreover, our findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between oxygen saturation level and Total Severity Score, with the exclusion of the young adult patients (20-40 years). Conclusion: Relying on chest CT-scan findings apart from the oxygen saturation level is sufficient for the diagnosis and management of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Keywords: COVID-19, pneumonia, spiral CT, diagnosis, treatment, Real-Time RTPCR"