The characteristics and clinical value of chest CT images of novel corona virus pneumonia: An update

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the characteristics of chest Computed Tomography (CT) images of corona virus pneumonia in India. Materials and methods: Clinical data and CT images of 1000 cases of NCP were collected. Lesions were scored and characterized. The clinical manifestations and laboratory test results of the patients were analysed. Results: The main clinical manifestations were fever, dry cough, and fatigue. A total of 15000 scored lesions were found in the first chest CT images of patients. The lesions were located mainly in the subpleural area of the lungs (90%). Most of the lesions were ground-glass opacity. Pulmonary consolidation accounted for 40% of all of the lesions. Of the 1000 cases, 900 patients (90%) had bilateral lung disease, 100 (1%) patients had unilateral lung disease Conclusion: The chest CT of NCP patients is characterized by bilateral ground-glass lesions located in the subpleural area of the lung, and progressive consolidation with no migratory lesions. Pleural effusions and mediastinal lymphadenopathy are rare. As patients can have a negative early nucleic acid test, chest CT, in combination with epidemiological and laboratory tests, is a useful examination to evaluate the disease and curative effect.