Diagnostic value of chest CT in outpatient for COVID-19 compare with RT-PCR

Abstract Objectives: The pneumonia caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus recently break out in Wuhan, China, and was named as COVID-19. With the spread of the disease, it bring numbers of casualties,so now we need a way could fast and accuracy diagnose the disease.This paper aims to compare two way for diagnose COVID-19 in outpatient :Chest CT and RT-PCR. Materials and methods: The study picked 248 patients who treated in fever clinical of GanZhou people's hospital,their complete clinical and imaging data were analysed retrospectively.Epidemiological data,symoptoms,laboratory test results include RT-PCR and the CT results include CT features,lesion location,lesion distribution of suspected COVID-19 infected patients were gathered. Results: All of 248 patients,at last 20 patients confirmed COVID-19,15 patients were confirmed in outpatient.More than 200 cases has laboratory test results disnormal.Only 15/248 patients had initial positive RT-PCR for COVID-19,5 patients had COVID-19 confirmed by two or more RT-PCR.50 cases(20.2%) had Ground glass opacity,42 cases(16.9%) had Consolidation,39 cases(15.7%) had Spider web pattern,38 cases(15.3%) had Interlobular septal thickening.For lesion location,22 cases(8.9%) involved Single lobe of one lung,13 cases(5.2%) involved Multiple lobes of one lung,174 cases(70.2%) involved Multiple lobes of both lungs,9 cases(3.6%) involved Bilateral lower lungs,25 cases(10.1%) involved Bilateral middle and lower lungs.Regarding the distribution of the lesions in the lung lobes,119 cases(47.98%) involved Subpleural distribution,19 cases(7.7%) involved Diffuse distribution,7 cases(2.8%) involved Peribronchial distribution,81 cases(32.7%) involved Mixed distribution. Conclusion: Chest CT can be applied in outpatient to make early diagnosis with sensitivity and accuracy better than that of nucleic acid detection.