ROLE OF CHEST COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY SCANS IN THE EVALUATION OF CHEST MORPHOLOGY IN COVID-19 PATIENTS

Objectives: This study aims to demonstrate the role of chest computed tomography scans in the evaluation of chest morphology in patients with a history of COVID-19.

Methodology: This study was conducted at King Khalid Hospital, Najran, Saudi Arabia, from January 2022 to May 2022.

The study sample included 100 patients with positive polymerase chain test,  64 slice units  GE Medical Systems were used to examine patients with COVID-19.

Results: 100 patients with a positive polymerase chain for COVID-19 were included. Regarding the signs and symptoms, 48 (48%) of the 100 patients had a fever, and 22 (22%) of the 100 patients had a cough. The most frequent CT abnormalities observed were ground-glass opacity 32 (32%), consolidation (20, 20%), and interlobular septal thickening (17, 17%).

Moreover, The distribution of these findings was most common in the Subpleural zone  (55, 55%) and the diffuse zone (31, 31%).

Conclusion: COVID-19 primarily impacts the Subpleural Zone, according to the studies. According to this study, the imaging hallmark of COVID-19 infection is ground-glass opacities and consolidation in the lung periphery. This finding could help physicians with limited healthcare resources predict cases with potentially higher mortality when treating patients.

Keywords: COVID-19, HRCT, Chest