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Chest X-ray findings in COVID-19: A Pictorial Review
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Nasir Khan ,Muhammad Umar ,Maria Khaliq ,Hina Hanif ,Misbah Durrani ,Riffat Raja. Chest X-ray findings in COVID-19: A Pictorial Review. JRMC [Internet]. 2020 Aug. 11 [cited 2024 Mar. 29];24(Supp-1). Available from: https://journalrmc.com/index.php/JRMC/article/view/1428

Abstract

Introduction: Chest X-ray and Computed tomography(CT) of chest play an important role in the diagnosis and management of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As chest CT may not be readily available in most clinical setups X-ray Chest plays a pivotal role in such clinical scenarios and an irreplaceable initial radiological investigation of these patients.

Objective: The objective of this article is to identify and elaborate the commonest appearances and patterns of lung changes on Chest X rays in COVID-19 positive patients confirmed on RT-PCR COVID testing.

Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study of Chest X-ray findings of 294  RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted across 3 hospitals (Rawalpindi institute of urology (RIU), Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and Holy Family Hospital (HFH)) from March 30th, 2020 till April 30th, 2020. CXR was analyzed for consolidation patches, ground-glass opacification (GGO), multi-lobe involvement, bilateral distribution, and pleural fluid. The chest X-ray with positive findings was graded into mild, moderate, and severe grades using BSTI (British Society of Thoracic imaging) guidelines.

Results: Mean age of study patients was 45.5 years. Among the study population 230 (78.2 %) were male and 64 (21.8%) female. On baseline chest X rays, consolidations were the commonest finding (n=84, 28.5%), followed by ground-glass opacity (n=17, 5.7 %). The more common locations were peripheral and lower zones, and the majority had bilateral lung involvement (Table 1). Pleural effusions were found in only 5 of the study patients.  Among these patients, 187 (63.6%) had an initial normal chest X-ray. Moreover, 35, 34, and 38patients had mild, moderate, and severe diseases respectively.

Conclusion: Chest X-ray is an important initial radiological investigation for COVID 19 patients and plays an important role in the management during the course of the disease.

https://doi.org/10.37939/jrmc.v24iSupp-1.1428
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Copyright (c) 2020 Nasir Khan, Muhammad Umar, Maria Khaliq, Hina Hanif, Misbah Durrani, Riffat Raja