Abstract
ABSTRACTObjectives:To compare Chest X-rays findings in COVID -19 suspected and confirmed patients on RT-PCR, presented at corona filtration center, Benazir Bhutto hospital Rawalpindi.Methods:In this study, Chest radiographs of 100 COVID-19 RT-PCR positive confirmed patients were compared with 100 RT-PCR negative suspected COVID-19 patients screened at corona filtration center, Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi from November 2020 to December 2020. Data on demographics, presenting complaints, co-morbid, lesion characteristic, distribution and attenuation, lobar involvement, pleural effusion and lymphadenopathy were collected. Associations between imaging characteristics and COVID-19 pneumonia were analyzed with univariate and multivariate logistic regression modals.Results:Chest X-rays findings revealed bilateral lung consolidation with peripheral and diffuse distribution, involving middle and lower lobe to be statistically significant (p<0.05) between RT-PCR positives and negative patients. Peripheral distribution was associated with an 11.08-fold risk in COVID-19 positive patients than diffuse distribution. Middle lobe involvement had four folds risk and lower lobe involvement had 11.04 folds risk in COVID-19 cases as compared to upper lobe involvement. Consolidation had 2.6 folds risk in COVID-19 positive cases.Conclusions:Bilateral, peripheral distribution of middle and lower lobes ground glass haze or consolidation with no pleural effusion is significantly related to COVID-19 pneumonia. Overlapping imaging features of the infectious and non-infectious COVID mimickers can be further excluded by detailed clinical evaluation and further radiological workup.
Highlights
War against COVID-19 is still raging on as it continues its devastations and pose a major unprecedented health crisis globally
Chest X-rays are stored in central computer server of Benazir Bhutto hospital.Chest radiographs of 100 COVID-19 RT-PCR positive confirmed patients were compared with 100 RTPCR negative patients
Patients were divided in two groups and labelled as COVID-19 positive or negative on the basis of RT-PCR
Summary
War against COVID-19 is still raging on as it continues its devastations and pose a major unprecedented health crisis globally. HRCT (high resolution computed tomography) is the radiological investigation of choice as it has high sensitivity of 98% as compared to RTPCR which has a sensitivity of only 60-71%.1. Chest X-rays, having sensitivity of almost 67% are still used in our public hospitals and rural health centers as first line of investigation as compared to HRCT. Chest X-rays are readily available, affordable, less time consuming in terms rigorous CT decontamination measures and in terms of expert radiological interpretation by general practitioners and physicians.[2] It was thought to take RT-PCR as gold standard and to compare CXR findings of COVID-19 RT-PCT positive patients with that of COVID-19 RT-PCR negative patients having similar respiratory symptoms
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