CT manifestations of the coronavirus disease 2019 of imported infection versus second-generation infection in patients outside the original district (Wuhan, China) of this disease: An observational study

• Published in: Medicine (Baltimore) 2020-05, Vol.99 (21), p.e20370-e20370
• Main Authors: Wu, Yu-ping, Cao, Jin-ming, Chen, Tian-wu, Li, Rui, Liu, Feng-jun, Zeng, Yue, Zhang, Xiao-ming, Mu, Qi-wen, Li, Hong-jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; China; Communicable Diseases, Imported - diagnostic imaging; Communicable Diseases, Imported - virology; Coronavirus Infections - diagnostic imaging; COVID-19; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Observational Study; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnostic imaging; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 0025-7974; 1536-5964; 1536-5964
• DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000020370

To explore the discrepancy in computed tomography (CT) manifestations of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients outside the original district (Wuhan, China) between cases with imported infection and second-generation infection, 22 patients with COVID-19 from 2 hospitals in Nanchong, China, 938 km away from the original district (Wuhan, China) of this disease were enrolled. All patients underwent initial and follow-up CT after admission during the treatment, and were divided into 2 groups. Group A and B were composed of 15 patients with a history of exposure to the original district (Wuhan, China) in short-term (i.e., imported infection), and 7 with a close contact with the patients with confirmed COVID-19 or with the healthy individuals from the original district (i.e., second-generation infection), respectively. Initial CT features including extent score and density score between groups were statistically compared. We found that all patients in group A and 3 of 7 patients in group B had abnormal CT findings while 4 of 7 patients in group B had not. Patients with abnormal CT findings were more frequent in group A than in group B (P