Clinical and Radiological Findings of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pneumonia: 51 Adult Patients from a Single Center in Daegu, South Korea

• Published in: Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology 2020, 81(3), , pp.591-603
• Main Authors: Lee, Seung Eun, Kim, Young Seon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: computed tomography; coronavirus disease 2019; covid-19; COVID-19 in Korea; pneumonia; republic of korea; x-ray; 방사선과학
• ISSN: 1738-2637; 2288-2928; 2951-0805
• DOI: 10.3348/jksr.2020.81.3.591

Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical features and chest computed tomography (CT) findings of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Materials and Methods An Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective review was performed for 51 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia patients. Patients were divided into two groups depending on their clinical status: mild and severe. Clinical characteristics and chest CT findings were compared between the two groups. Results Among the 51 patients (22 men, 29 women; mean age, 56.5 ± 16 years; range, 22–88 years), 37 (72.5%) were in the mild group and 14 (27.5%) were in the severe group. The patients in the severe group (68.7 ± 12.5 years) were older than the patients in the mild group (51.8 ± 14.9 years, p < 0.001). Premorbid conditions and decreased lymphocyte counts were more often observed in the severe group than in the mild group (71% vs. 41%, p = 0.049 and 86% vs. 32%, p = 0.001, respectively). On chest CT, most patients exhibited a mixed ground-glass opacification (GGO) with consolidation (76%) or a GGO (22%) pattern. The majority of lesions were predominantly bilateral in the lower lung with a posterior, peripheral distribution. The patients in the severe group had higher severity scores than those in the mild group. Conclusion Patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia have typical chest CT findings that provide important information regarding expected disease severity.