The Time Course of Lung Changes on Chest CT during Recovery Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pneumonia

Abstract

OVID-19 is a highly infectious disease that has been spreading widely worldwide. Early diagnosis is an essential disease management strategy. However, insufficient laboratory kits caused a challenge and dramatic dissemination of the disease. Therefore, radiology such as X-ray and CT, had become the principal method for diagnosis during the COVID-19 outbreak. The lack of early abnormalities on chest radiographs can lead to a large number of false negatives. Thin-section chest CT is more sensitive than chest radiography, showing abnormal changes in the lung parenchyma in the early stages of disease. Moreover, it is an important tool for assessing the extent and severity of the disease, which could express the disease burden. The aim of the work is to describe the change in chest CT findings associated with COVID-19 pneumonia from initial diagnosis until patient recovery. This was a retrospective study that included 30 patients who had Symptoms of variable degree of fever, cough, and dyspnea with RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 infection at Ain Shams University Hospitals referred to the Radiodiagnosis Department for HRCT chest examination. An acceptance from the ethical committee of the Radiology Department and the ethical committee of Faculty of Medicine - Ain Shams University was obtained to use the data stared on PACs system with the patient’s consent waived being a retrospective study.