Abstract
BackgroundChest computed tomography (CT) findings in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been rarely reported in a comprehensive and systematic manner.ObjectiveWe investigated the chest CT findings in children with COVID-19, and explored the differences in these findings between symptomatic patients and asymptomatic patients.Materials and methodsDemographic findings, clinical characteristics, duration of hospital stay and viral shedding, and chest CT findings in 201 children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) were retrospectively analyzed from January 15 to March 20, 2020, and divided into two groups: symptomatic group (n=136) and asymptomatic group (n=65). Chi-square test and Student’s t-test were used for statistical analysis.ResultsSymptomatic patients were mainly young children ≤3 years old (54/63, 86%),while asymptomatic patients were mainly children ≥ 6 years old (51/111, 46%). Fever (41%) and cough (41%) were the most common symptoms. Overall, 119/201 (59%) patients had chest CT findings, and symptomatic patients accounted for 82% (98/119). The CT findings presented as bilateral multiple lesions (60/119, 50.4%), ground-glass opacities (83/119, 70%) and/or consolidation (44/119, 37%) with a peripheral and subpleural distribution (62/83, 75%). Fifteen of 87 (7.2%) patients with lung lesions showed complete lesion absorption, and 42/87 (48%) improved within a mean of 9.1 (standard deviation [SD] 3.2) days. The mean duration of viral shedding was 8.7 (SD 4.9) days. Pleural effusion was very rare. No lymphadenopathy was found in either group.ConclusionSymptoms associated with pulmonary involvement were most common in infants and young children. The lung lesions of most patients were absorbed and improved in about 9 days.
Highlights
Since the initial outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) which causes coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19) in December 2019, the pandemic has critically affected people’s work and quality of life
From January 15 to March 20, 2020, we studied the medical records and admission chest computed tomography (CT) findings from the electronic medical records of our hospital information system and PACS, respectively, of 211 pediatric patients
The lung CT manifestations of the two groups were significantly different, and the differences between the two groups were more obvious for children >6 years old
Summary
Since the initial outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) which causes coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19) in December 2019, the pandemic has critically affected people’s work and quality of life. Since the initial outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) which causes coronavirus disease. Children worldwide have been infected with COVID-19. During the initial stage of the outbreak, COVID-19 was first noticed by medical staff because of the unique pulmonary imaging manifestations in adults owing to the respiratory symptoms. Given the lack of nucleic acid detection kits, a quicker identification of patients with suspected COVID-19 was made possible using a dedicated computed tomography (CT) scanner [1, 2]. CT was the main diagnostic method followed by “Pneumonia diagnosis and treatment guideline for SARS-CoV2 infection (trial version 5)” issued by the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Chest computed tomography (CT) findings in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been rarely reported in a comprehensive and systematic manner
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