Specificity and Sensitivity of Lung Ultrasound Examination in Patients with COVID-19 Induced Pneumonia

Abstract

The coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is characterized by a high incidence of pneumonia. Extensive damage, high mortality associated with COVID-19 make the rapid bedside diagnosis and dynamic monitoring of the volume and nature of lung tissue damage a challenge. Lung ultrasound examination can be used as a tool to answer it.The objective: to compare the signs detected by lung computed tomography and ultrasound and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound in the diagnosis of pneumonia induced by COVID-19.Subjects and Methods. The observational prospective clinical study included 388 patients aged 18–75 years old; they had a confirmed diagnosis of pneumonia caused by COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19. Lung ultrasound was performed within 24 hours after computed tomography (CT) of the chest organs. During CT, pathological signs, infiltration and consolidation of the lungs were visualized which were documented by lung segments. Lung ultrasound was performed according to the Russian Protocol, ultrasound signs of B-lines and consolidation were also documented based on the projection of lung segments on the chest wall. The distributions of variables was analyzed, described and summarized. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound methods were evaluated on the basis of ROC analysis according to CT gold standard.Results. Bilateral involvement was found in 100% of cases. Typical CT signs of pneumonia caused by coronavirus infection were ground-glass opacity of the pulmonary parenchyma, thickened pleura, consolidation, interstitium, reticular induration, and cobblestone appearance. With ultrasound examination of the lungs and pleura, the detected signs corresponded to CT signs. B lines (multifocal, discrete or merging) and consolidation of various volumes of lung tissue were most common during ultrasound. The sign of consolidation was detected less frequently versus infiltration (p < 0.001). The sensitivity of lung ultrasound in the diagnosis of lung lesions was 95.3%, and the specificity was 85.4%, the area under the curve was 0.976 with a confidence interval of 0.961–0.991 (p < 0.001).Conclusion. The use of lung ultrasound during the COVID-19 pandemic makes it possible to identify, assess the volume and nature of lung damage. Lung ultrasound demonstrated accuracy comparable to CT of the chest organs in detecting pneumonia in patients with COVID-19.