ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the role of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in the diagnosis of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia and to provide experience in the early detection and diagnosis of 2019-nCoV pneumonia. Methods: 72 patients confirmed to be infected with 2019-nCoV from multiple medical centers in western China were retrospectively analyzed, including epidemiologic characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings and HRCT chest features. Results: All patients had lung parenchymal abnormalities on HRCT scans, which were mostly multifocal in both lungs and asymmetric in all patients, and were mostly in the peripheral or subpleural lung regions in 52 patients (72.22%), in the central lung regions in sixteen (22.22%), and in both lungs, with "white lung "manifestations in four (5.56%). Subpleural multifocal consolidation was predominant abnormality in 38 patients (52.78%). Ground-glass opacity was seen in 34 patients (47.22%). Interlobular septal thickening was found in 18patients, of which eight had only generally mild thickening with no zonal predominance. Reticulation was seen in 8 patients (11.11%), in all of whom it was mild and randomly distributed. In addition, both lungs of 28 patients had two or three CT imaging features. Out of these 72 patients, 36 were diagnosed as early stage, 32 patients as progressive stage and 4 patient as severe stage pneumonia. Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy of HRCT features combined with epidemiological history was not significantly different from the detection of viral nucleic acid (all P >0.05). Conclusion: The HRCT features of 2019-nCoV pneumonia are characteristic to a certain degree, which when combined with epidemiological history yield high clinical value in the early detection and diagnosis of 2019-nCoV pneumonia.Authors Hong-Wei Li, Li-Hua Zhuo, Gao-Wu Yan contributed equally to this work.