Chest CT Imaging Findings and Mortality of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) In Two Groups of Patients with Positive and Negative Initial RT-PCR Results

The main aim of the study was to find the most common CT feature in the lungs of patients associated with Delta variant and characterize thoracic computed tomography and report mortality.
A total of 156 patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection were randomized in this study which their chest CTs performed at the initial positive and negative RT-PCR. There were two groups of patients involved.
The patients had typical imaging features such as; coagulation (33 [21.2%]), ground glass opacities (GGO) (140 [89.7%]), vascular enlargement of the lesion (41 [26.3%]). Lesions that appear on CT images are more likely to have peripheral distribution (79 [50.6%]), peripheral and central distribution (61 [39.1%]) and architectural distortion (14 [9%]. Other CT features include pleural effusion (15 [9.6 %]) and crazy-paving pattern (25 [16 %]). Only two patients had tree-in-bud and traction bronchiectasis (2 [1,3%]). In contrast, the overall mortality rate was (19 [12.2%]).
The most common CT feature was peripheral GGO (140 [89.7%]) in the lungs of patients with COVID-19. The initial positive RT-PCR group had a higher peripheral distribution, GGO, and frenzy pattern during their CT scan than patients in the group with a negative initial RT-PCR result. Mortality rates were nearly identical between groups with a positive and negative RT-PCR baseline at 10.7% and 13%, respectively. It has been shown that most patients with negative RT-PCR should be considered suspected of having COVID-19.