Comparison of Radiographic Appearances of Covid-19 Pneumonia and Influenza Pneumonia

Résumé

Abstract Background The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) first discovered in December 2019 has infected over 400 million people worldwide with over 5 million deaths as of February 2022. Differentiation of the imaging appearance of COVID-19 pneumonia and the endemic seasonal influenza pneumonia is clinically important as it may help give direction on patient care. The aim of this study was to evaluate for differences in radiographic appearances of COVID-19 pneumonia and influenza pneumonia. Methods This was a cross sectional descriptive study comparing patterns of pneumonia on radiographs and CT examinations of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia and influenza pneumonia. The comparisons included the predominant radiographic pattern of pneumonia (alveolar, interstitial, ground glass or nodular) and the extent of pneumonia (lobar, multi-lobar or diffuse involvement). The radiographic severity of disease was classified as mild, moderate or severe based on extent of lung involvement. Results A total of 99 examinations were reviewed, 52 chest x-rays and 47 CT chest examinations. Ground glass opacification had the highest sensitivity (89.5%) and negative predictive value (72.7%) in identification of COVID-19 pneumonia while reticulonodular opacities had the highest sensitivity (53.3%) and negative predictive value (68.2%) for identification of influenza pneumonia. The majority (90.9%) of Influenza pneumonia cases had lower CORADS scores of 2 and 3. Conclusion The predominant radiographic pattern in COVID-19 pneumonia was ground glass opacities while that for influenza pneumonia was reticulonodular opacities. This may help differentiate between the two pneumonias which can have similar clinical presentation but often variable severity and outcome.

Citer ce document

Accès au document

Ce document est hébergé sur son dépôt institutionnel d'origine.

Auteur(s)

Statistiques

Consultations : 1

Téléchargements : 0