Correlation between CT findings and outcomes in 46 patients with coronavirus disease 2019

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze initial chest computed tomography (CT) findings in COVID-19 pneumonia and identify features associated with poor prognosis. Patients with RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection were assigned to recovery group if they made a full recovery and to death group if they died within 2 months of hospitalization. Chest CT examinations for ground-glass opacity, crazy-paving pattern, consolidation, and fibrosis were scored by two reviewers. The total CT score comprised the sum of lung involvement (5 lobes, scores 1–5 for each lobe, range; 0, none; 25, maximum). 40 patients who recovered from COVID-19 and six patients who died were enrolled. The initial chest CTs showed 27 (58.7%) patients had ground-glass opacity, 19 (41.3%) had ground glass and consolidation, and 35 (76.1%) patients had crazy-paving pattern. None of the patients who died had fibrosis in contrast to six (15%) patients who recovered from COVID-19. Most patients had subpleural lesions (89.0%) as well as bilateral (87.0%) and lower (93.0%) lung lobe involvement. Diffuse lesions were present in four (67%) patients who succumbed to coronavirus but only one (2.5%) patient who recovered (p < 0.001). In the death group of patients, the total CT score was higher than that of the recovery group (p = 0.005). Patients in the death group had lower lymphocyte count and higher C-reactive protein than those in the recovery group (p = 0.011 and p = 0.041, respectively). A high CT score and diffuse distribution of lung lesions in COVID-19 are indicative of disease severity and short-term mortality.