Chest CT Features of COVID-19 in Rome, Italy

TLDR

The standard diagnosis of SARS‑CoV‑2 is RT‑PCR, but chest CT may complement early detection of COVID‑19 pneumonia. This study aimed to describe CT features of COVID‑19 patients in Rome and compare CT accuracy with RT‑PCR. In a prospective cohort from March 4–19 2020, consecutive suspected COVID‑19 patients were enrolled, excluding those with contrast‑enhanced CT, refusals, or motion artifact; all underwent RT‑PCR and chest CT, with CT diagnostic performance assessed against RT‑PCR and CT findings compared between hospitalized and home‑isolation patients using chi‑square analysis.

Abstract

Background The standard for diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, but chest CT may play a complimentary role in the early detection of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Purpose To investigate CT features of patients with COVID-19 in Rome, Italy, and to compare the accuracy of CT with that of RT-PCR. Materials and Methods In this prospective study from March 4, 2020, until March 19, 2020, consecutive patients suspected of having COVID-19 infection and respiratory symptoms were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were contrast material-enhanced chest CT performed for vascular indications, patients who refused chest CT or hospitalization, and severe CT motion artifact. All patients underwent RT-PCR and chest CT. Diagnostic performance of CT was calculated using RT-PCR as the reference standard. Chest CT features were calculated in a subgroup of patients with positive RT-PCR and CT findings. CT features of hospitalized patients and patients in home isolation were compared using the Pearson χ