ABSTRACT
Aim: To detect the early HRCT chest findings and clinical course in patients diagnosed as COVID-19 positive but are asymptomatic. Study design: A prospective study. Setting: All the confirmed COVID-19 patients encountered at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Lahore corona desk, from 1st April 2020 to 30th April 2020 were studied in this survey. Methods: In our survey, we selected those asymptomatic patients who had positive contact history, diagnosed as COVID-19 positive by RT-PCR. Characteristic CT findings of each enrolled patient were collected and then interpreted. Results: 53 asymptomatic exposed patients with COVID-19 lung disease were enrolled and underwent HRCT Chest. All patients who had a contact history of COVID-19 patients were tested positive by RT-PCR. These patients had a history of contact with COVID-19 patients. 58.49% of patients had normal HRCT Chest while 41.5% patients had abnormal CT findings. The predominant feature on HRCT Chest was GGO in (100%) with peripheral distribution (72.2%), diffuse (27.27%), unilateral distribution (45.4%), and bilateral distribution (54.5%). After a short-term follow-up, 20 patients (37.7%) developed symptoms mainly including fever, SOB, cough, and lethargy. Follow-up HRCT showed progression of disease in (9.09%) patients. Conclusion: HRCT chest of patients having COVID-19 pneumonia that are asymptomatic has specific characteristics. As asymptomatic patients are silent carriers and some patients can worsen in a very short period. It is important to consider the importance of the detection and surveillance regarding asymptomatic patients having COVID-19. HRCT chest also has great value in screening and diagnosing patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, specifically in those who have a high suspicion, asymptomatic patients with negative PCR. © 2021 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease which is caused by a newly discovered virus named Corona Virus. Objective: To explore HRCT findings of COVID-19 related pulmonary disease in Pakistan. Methods: A prospective study involving 316 patients (age 18-40 years) with suspicion of coronavirus and symptoms such as cough and dyspnea was conducted from 20th March 2020 to 20th May 2020(2 month period) at Radiology Department, Fatima Jinnah Medical University affiliated sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore. The sample collection was non probability consecutive technique. All patients underwent RT-PCR and chest CT. Appearances of HRCT were assessed in those patients who had positive RT-PCR as well as had findings on HRCT i.e had positive HRCT. Patients excluded from study on basis of indications other than COVID-19, poor quality of images due to breathing artefact and failure to get consent for imaging, Results: A total of 316 patients participants with suspected coronavirus were included in consecutive study as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of these, 182 patients were male and 134 patients were female, They range in age from 18 to 89 years having a mean of 57 +/- 17 y. Out of 316 patients, 179, 154 patients had positive PCR and positive HRCT findings, 25 had positive PCR but no HRCT findings. Ground glass opacity and multilobe involvement (>= 2 lobes) was present in (85%) patients, consolidation in (77%) patients, air bronchogram in (61%) patients and bronchiectasis in (41%) patients. Of study participants 27% patients had pleural effusion (20%) had mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Conclusion: The ground glass opacification was found to be most common HRCT finding in patients with COVID-19 pulmonary involvement. These ground glass opacities were commonly found to be located posteriorly and peripherally involving multiple lobes of both lungs in majority of the cases. Other common findings include consolidation associated with air bronchogram and bronchiectasis.