AbstractBackground: The pathogen responsible for the respiratory illness was a novel strain of the family Corona viradae, which is similar to two previous epidemics, namely Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The present study was conducted to assess radiological findings in COVID- 19 patients.
Materials and Methods: 200 COVID- 19 patients were enrolled. Based on the time interval between onset of symptoms and the CT scan, 4 groups of 50 patients were created. Group 1 (subclinical cases, in which CT scans were done before onset of symptoms); group 2 (CT scans done ≤1 week after symptom onset); group 3 (CT scans done >1 to 2 weeks after symptom onset); and group 4 (CT scans done >2 weeks to 3 weeks after symptom onset). All patients underwent CT scans.
Results: Group I had 30 males and 20 females, group II had 22 males and 28 females, group III had 25 males and 25 females and group IV had 24 males and 26 females. Common clinical features were cough seen in 76%, 48% and 31%, dyspnoea in 62%, 72% and 45%, chest tightness in 80%, 55% and 25%, diarrhoea in 34%, 25% and 6%, vomiting in 54%, 15% and 14% and fever in 95%, 82% and 30% in group II, III and IV respectively. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). The mean lung segments involved were 3.4 in group I, 10.2 in group II, 13.1 in group III and 12.7 in group IV. Pattern involved was Bilateral seen in 40%, 25%, 2% and 5%, peripheral in 20%, 20%, 25% and 5%, ill- defined in 25%, 15%, 28% and 30% and ground-glass opacification in 15%, 30%, 45% and 60% respectively. The difference was significant (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: Most common radiological feature found in COVID- 19 affected patients was ground-glass opacification.
