Temporal radiographic changes in COVID-19 patients: relationship to disease severity and viral clearance
Xiaofan Liu, Hong Zhou, Yilu Zhou, Xiaojun Wu, Yang Zhao, Yang Lu, Weijun Tan, Mingli Yuan, Xuhong Ding, Jinjing Zou, Ruiyun Li, Hailing Liu, Rob M. Ewing, Yi Hu, Hanxiang Nie & Yihua Wang
Scientific Reports volume 10, Article number: 10263 (2020)
Abstract
COVID-19 is “public enemy number one” and has placed an enormous burden on health authorities across the world. Given the wide clinical spectrum of COVID-19, understanding the factors that can predict disease severity will be essential since this will help frontline clinical staff to stratify patients with increased confidence. To investigate the diagnostic value of the temporal radiographic changes, and the relationship to disease severity and viral clearance in COVID-19 patients. In this retrospective cohort study, we included 99 patients admitted to the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, with laboratory confirmed moderate or severe COVID-19. Temporal radiographic changes and viral clearance were explored using appropriate statistical methods. Radiographic features from HRCT scans included ground-glass opacity, consolidation, air bronchogram, nodular opacities and pleural effusion. The HRCT scores (peak) during disease course in COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia (median: 24.5) were higher compared to those with pneumonia (median: 10) (p = 3.56 × 10 −12), with more frequency of consolidation (p = 0.025) and air bronchogram (p = 7.50 × 10−6). The median values of days when the peak HRCT scores were reached in pneumonia or severe pneumonia patients were 12 vs. 14, respectively (p = 0.048).
