scholarly journals A Multicenter Survey on the Trend of Chest CT Scan Utilization: Tracing the First Footsteps of COVID-19 in Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 787-793
Author(s):  
Amir Reza Radmard ◽  
Ali Gholamrezanezhad ◽  
Seyed Ali Montazeri ◽  
Amir Kasaeian ◽  
Nemat Nematollahy ◽  
...  

Background: Chest computed tomography (CT) scan has been used widely to diagnose COVID-19 in Iran. Objectives: To trace the footsteps of COVID-19 in Iran by exploring the trend in using chest CT scans and its economic impact on radiology departments. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the number of imaging examinations from 33 tertiary radiology departments in 9 large cities of Iran was collected from September 23, 2019 to March 20, 2020 (Months 1 to 6) and the corresponding months in 2018–2019. Results: A 50.2% increase was noted in the chest CT scan utilization in 2019–2020 compared to 2018–2019. This increase was +15%, +15%, +27%, +2%, +1% in Months 1–5 of 2019–2020, respectively. In Month 6 of 2019–2020, a 251% increase in the acquisition of chest CT scans was observed compared to the Month 6 of 2018–2019. Following negative balance of revenue from Month 1 to 5 with respect to the inflation rate, the total income in Month 6 was further 1.5% less than the same Month in 2018–19. Conclusion: The observed peak in chest CT utilization in Month 3 prior to the surge in Month 6 could be explained by the seasonal influenza. However, unawareness about an emerging viral disease, i.e. COVID-19, might have underutilized chest CT in Months 4 and 5 before the official announcement in Month 6. The unbalanced increase in the workload of radiology departments in the shortage of cardiothoracic radiologists with the simultaneous decrease in income initiated a vicious cycle that worsened the economic repercussions of the pandemic.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Hossein Abdolrahimzadeh Fard ◽  
Salahaddin Mahmudi-Azer ◽  
Sepideh Sefidbakht ◽  
Pooya Iranpour ◽  
Shahram Bolandparvaz ◽  
...  

Background. The lack of enough medical evidence about COVID-19 regarding optimal prevention, diagnosis, and treatment contributes negatively to the rapid increase in the number of cases globally. A chest computerized tomography (CT) scan has been introduced as the most sensitive diagnostic method. Therefore, this research aimed to examine and evaluate the chest CT  scan as a screening measure of COVID-19 in trauma patients. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Rajaee Hospital in Shiraz from February to May 2020. All patients underwent unenhanced CT with a 16-slice CT scanner. The CT scans were evaluated in a blinded manner, and the main CT scan features were described and classified into four groups according to RSNA recommendation. Subsequently, the first two Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) categories with the highest probability of COVID-19 pneumonia (i.e., typical and indeterminate) were merged into the “positive CT scan group” and those with radiologic features with the least probability of COVID-19 pneumonia into “negative CT scan group.” Results. Chest CT scan had a sensitivity of 68%, specificity of 56%, positive predictive value of 34.8%, negative predictive value of 83.7%, and accuracy of 59.3% in detecting COVID-19 among trauma patients. Moreover, for the diagnosis of COVID-19 by CT scan in asymptomatic individuals, a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 66.7%, and negative predictive value of 100% were obtained ( p value: 0.05). Conclusion. Findings of the study indicated that the CT scan’s sensitivity and specificity is less effective in diagnosing trauma patients with COVID-19 compared with nontraumatic people.


CHEST Journal ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
pp. 40S
Author(s):  
Beverly D. Delacruz ◽  
Nerissa A. Deleon ◽  
Milagros S. Bautista ◽  
Fernando Ayuyao ◽  
Teresita Deguia

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhia Mahdey Alghazali ◽  
Maytham A Maamera ◽  
Haider Fadel Alkazraji ◽  
Ali A Abutiheen

Objective: To describe the ground-glass opacities (GGO) seen in chest CT scans of COVID-19 patients and to estimate the association between these opacities and the time of clinical presentation. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study involving 81 COVID-19 confirmed patients in Imam Al-Hussein Medical city in Karbala-Iraq during the period from March 1st to April 20, 2020. Chest CT scan findings were evaluated by 2 radiologists and categorized accordingly. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis and a P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age ± standard deviation of patients was 53.5 ± 17.1 years, with male predominance as 63 (77.8%) of cases were males. Nearly half of the patients were presented within the second week of starting the sign and symptoms. GGO was present in 79 scans (97.5%), followed by consolidation opacity in 29 patients (35.8%). Four types of GGO were described. Bilateral multiple subpleural GGO was the most prevalent type. There was a significant association between late time of patient presentation and more extensive GGO type. Conclusion: Chest CT scan is valuable in the diagnosis and management of COVID-19 cases. The presence of GGO in CT scan of a patient that previously had no chest illness is highly suggestive of COVID-19 disease, different types of GGO were seen. Bilateral confluent type of GGO is associated with more serious and delayed status and warns the need for intensive care unit admission.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Abdolrahimzadeh Fard ◽  
Salahaddin Mahmudi-Azer ◽  
Sepideh Sefidbakht ◽  
Pooya Iranpour ◽  
Shahram Bolandparvaz ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose: The lack of enough medical evidence about COVID-19 regarding optimal prevention, diagnosis, and treatment contributes negatively to the rapid increase in the number of cases globally. A chest computerized tomography (CT) scan has been introduced as the most sensitive diagnostic method. Therefore, this research aimed to examine and evaluate the chest CT scan as a screening measure of COVID-19 in trauma patients.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Rajaee Hospital in Shiraz from February to May 2020. All patients underwent unenhanced CT with a 16-slice CT scanner. The CT-scans were evaluated in a blinded manner and main CT scan features were described and classified into four groups according to RSNA recommendation. Subsequently, the first two RSNA categories with the highest probability of COVID pneumonia (i.e. typical and indeterminate) were merged into the “positive CT scan group” and those with radiologic features with the least probability of COVID pneumonia into “negative CT scan group”.Results: Chest CT scan had a sensitivity (68%), specificity (56%), positive predictive value (34.8%), negative predictive value (83.7%), and accuracy (59.3%) in detecting COVID-19 among trauma patients. Also, for the diagnosis of COVID-19 by CT scan in asymptomatic individuals a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 66.7% and a negative predictive value of 100% was obtained.Conclusion: Findings of the study indicated that the CT scan's sensitivity and specificity is less effective in diagnosing trauma patients with COVID-19 in comparison to non-traumatic people.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-55
Author(s):  
Saeed Safari ◽  
Melina Farbod ◽  
Hamidreza Hatamabadi ◽  
Mahmoud Yousefifard ◽  
Navid Mokhtari

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (B) ◽  
pp. 865-871
Author(s):  
Rusli Muljadi ◽  
Mira Yuniarti ◽  
Ricardo Tan ◽  
Teodorus Alfons Pratama ◽  
Ignatius Bima Prasetya ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the primary diagnostic tool to confirm coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) due to its high specificity. However, it has relatively low sensitivity and time consuming. In contrast, chest computed tomography (CT) has high sensitivity and achieves quick results. It may, therefore, play a critical role in screening and diagnosing COVID-19. A cross-sectional study was done in 212 patients with confirmed cases and patients under surveillance for COVID-19 tested for RT-PCR and chest CT scan. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Version 23 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). AIM: We aim to investigate the diagnostic value of chest CT in correlation to RT-PCR in Indonesia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done in 212 patients with confirmed cases and patients under surveillance for COVID-19 tested for RT-PCR and chest CT scan. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Version 23 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). RESULTS: From a total of 212 patients, 92% of them were diagnosed as confirmed cases of COVID-19. It was found that the sensitivity of CT scan for COVID-19 patients was 72.3% (65.5% and 78.5%) with positive predictive value (PPV) of 93.9% (90.9% and 96.0%) and the sensitivity and PPV improve in symptomatic patients. Typical chest CT scan lesions were 8.0 times which were more likely (3.9–16.4; p <0.001) to be detected in symptomatic patients while patients with severe CT scan findings were 4.4 times more likely (3.0–6.5; p <0.001) to be admitted to the intensive care unit. CONCLUSION: A high PPV suggests that a chest CT scan can detect COVID-19 lesions, but the absence of the lesions would not exclude the disease’s presence.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Abdolrahimzadeh Fard ◽  
Salahaddin Mahmudi-Azer ◽  
Sepideh Sefidbakht ◽  
Pooya Iranpour ◽  
Shahram Bolandparvaz ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The lack of enough medical evidence about COVID-19 regarding optimal prevention, diagnosis, and treatment contributes negatively to the rapid increase in the number of cases globally. A chest computerized tomography (CT) scan has been introduced as the most sensitive diagnostic method. Therefore, this research aimed to examine and evaluate the chest CT scan as a screening measure of COVID-19 in trauma patients. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Rajaee Hospital in Shiraz from February to May 2020. All patients underwent unenhanced CT with a 16-slice CT scanner. The CT-scans were evaluated in a blinded manner and main CT scan features were described and classified into four groups according to RSNA recommendation. Subsequently, the first two RSNA categories with the highest probability of COVID pneumonia (i.e. typical and indeterminate) were merged into the “positive CT scan group” and those with radiologic features with the least probability of COVID pneumonia into “negative CT scan group”.Results: Chest CT scan had a sensitivity (68%), specificity (56%), positive predictive value (34.8%), negative predictive value (83.7%), and accuracy (59.3%) in detecting COVID-19 among trauma patients. Also, for the diagnosis of COVID-19 by CT scan in asymptomatic individuals a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 66.7% and a negative predictive value of 100% was obtained.Conclusion: Findings of the study indicated that the CT scan's sensitivity and specificity is less effective in diagnosing trauma patients with COVID-19 in comparison to non-traumatic people.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Besharat ◽  
Fatemehsadat Rahimi ◽  
Siamak Afaghi ◽  
Farzad Esmaeili Tarki ◽  
Fatemeh Pourmotahari ◽  
...  

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has several chest computed tomography (CT) characteristics, which are important for the early management of this disease, because viral detection via RT-PCR can be time-consuming, resulting in a delayed pneumonia diagnosis. The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) proposed a reporting language for CT findings related to COVID-19 and defined four CT categories: typical, indeterminate, atypical, and negative. Objectives: To retrospectively evaluate the chest CT characteristics of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients and Methods: A total of 115 hospitalized laboratory-verified COVID-19 cases, underdoing chest CT scan, were included in this study from April 30 to May 15, 2020. Of 115 cases, 53 were discharged from the hospital, and 62 expired. The initial clinical features and chest CT scans were assessed for the type, pattern, distribution, and frequency of lesions. Moreover, the findings were compared between ward-hospitalized, ICU-admitted, and non-surviving (expired) patients. Results: Of four CT categories, typical CT findings for COVID-19 were more frequent in the expired group (77.4%), compared to the ward-admitted (44.8%) and ICU-admitted (70.8%) groups (P = 0.017). However, no significant difference was observed in the prevalence of intermediate or atypical CT findings between the groups. Negative CT scans for the diagnosis of COVID-19 were significantly fewer in the expired group (0%) as compared to the ward-admitted (10.3%) and ICU-admitted (8.3%) groups (P = 0.0180). Also, the mean number of involved lung lobes and segments was significantly higher in the expired group compared to the other two groups (P = 0.032 and 0.010, respectively). The right upper lobe involvement, right middle lobe involvement, bilateral involvement, central lesion, air bronchogram, and pleural effusion were among CT scan findings with a significantly higher prevalence in non-surviving cases (P < 0.0001, 0.047, 0.01, 0.036, 0.038, and 0.047, respectively). Conclusion: The increased number of involved lung lobes and segments, bilateral and central distribution patterns, air bronchogram, and severe pleural effusion in the initial chest CT scan can be related to the increased severity and poor prognosis of COVID-19.


Author(s):  
Hooman Bahrami-Motlagh ◽  
Yashar Moharamzad ◽  
Golnaz Izadi Amoli ◽  
Sahar Abbasi ◽  
Alireza Abrishami ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Chest CT scan has an important role in the diagnosis and management of COVID-19 infection. A major concern in radiologic assessment of the patients is the radiation dose. Research has been done to evaluate low-dose chest CT in the diagnosis of pulmonary lesions with promising findings. We decided to determine diagnostic performance of ultra-low-dose chest CT in comparison to low-dose CT for viral pneumonia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results 167 patients underwent both low-dose and ultra-low-dose chest CT scans. Two radiologists blinded to the diagnosis independently examined ultra-low-dose chest CT scans for findings consistent with COVID-19 pneumonia. In case of any disagreement, a third senior radiologist made the final diagnosis. Agreement between two CT protocols regarding ground-glass opacity, consolidation, reticulation, and nodular infiltration were recorded. On low-dose chest CT, 44 patients had findings consistent with COVID-19 infection. Ultra-low-dose chest CT had sensitivity and specificity values of 100% and 98.4%, respectively for diagnosis of viral pneumonia. Two patients were falsely categorized to have pneumonia on ultra-low-dose CT scan. Positive predictive value and negative predictive value of ultra-low-dose CT scan were respectively 95.7% and 100%. There was good agreement between low-dose and ultra-low-dose methods (kappa = 0.97; P < 0.001). Perfect agreement between low-dose and ultra-low-dose scans was found regarding diagnosis of ground-glass opacity (kappa = 0.83, P < 0.001), consolidation (kappa = 0.88, P < 0.001), reticulation (kappa = 0.82, P < 0.001), and nodular infiltration (kappa = 0.87, P < 0.001). Conclusion Ultra-low-dose chest CT scan is comparable to low-dose chest CT for detection of lung infiltration during the COVID-19 outbreak while maintaining less radiation dose. It can also be used instead of low-dose chest CT scan for patient triage in circumstances where rapid-abundant PCR tests are not available.


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