Abstract The chest computed tomography (CT) characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are important for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. The aim of this study was to investigate chest CT findings in COVID-19 patients in order to determine the optimal cut-off value of a CT severity score that can be considered a potential prognostic indicator of a severe/critical outcome. The CT findings were evaluated by means of a severity score that included the extent (0–4 grading scale) and nature (0–4 grading scale) of CT abnormalities. The images were evaluated at 3 levels bilaterally. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to identify the optimal score (Youden’s index) predicting severe/critical COVID-19. The study involved 165 COVID-19 patients (131 men [79.4%] and 34 women [20.6%] with a mean age of 61.5 ± 12.5 years), of whom 30 (18.2%) had severe/critical disease and 135 (81.8%) mild/typical disease. The most frequent CT finding was bilateral predominantly subpleural and basilar airspace changes, with more extensive ground-glass opacities than consolidation. CT findings of consolidation, a crazy-paving pattern, linear opacities, air bronchogram, and extrapulmonary lesions correlated with severe/critical COVID-19. The mean CT severity score was 63.95 in the severe/critical group, and 35.62 in the mild/typical group ( P < .001). ROC curve analysis showed that a CT severity score of 38 predicted the development of severe/critical symptoms. A CT severity score can help the risk stratification of COVID-19 patients.
【저자키워드】 Coronavirus disease 2019, Risk factors, Pneumonia, outcomes, Chest computed tomography, acute respiratory disease, Predictive score, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus disease, severity, diagnostic, outcome, Symptoms, risk stratification, ground-glass opacity, Characteristics, Chest CT, ROC, age, women, prognostic, disease, consolidation, COVID-19 patients, Analysis, COVID-19 patient, ROC Curve, changes, lesion, crazy-paving pattern, help, Abnormalities, cut-off value, receiver operating characteristics, prognostic indicator, men, predicted, identify, was used, involved, evaluated, linear, determine, correlated, CT finding, subpleural, 【제목키워드】 coronavirus disease, severity,