Chest high-resolution computed tomography imaging findings of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pneumonia

We aimed to investigate the chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) imaging manifestations of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia.

Chest HRCT images of 12 patients who were diagnosed as COVID-19 pneumonia in our institute from January 28, 2020 to February 16, 2020 were retrospectively reviewed.

The most typical HRCT findings were bilateral pulmonary parenchymal ground-glass opacities, with or without consolidation in the lung periphery, and sometimes also showed a rounded morphology. Three (25%) patients had typical crazy paving signs, 3 (25%) patients showed air bronchogram, 2 (16.67%) patients with bronchial wall thickening signs, and 5 (41.67%) patients had vascular perforator signs. Only one (8.33%) patient had unilateral involvement in the left upper lobe. Lung cavitation, pleural effusions and intrathoracic lymph node enlargement were not found in all patients. The severity of the lesions in the right lung, and in the lower lobe were worsen than those in the left lung and upper lobe, respectively. Lesions in the lateroposterior zone of the lung were more common than those in the apical and central areas. Notably, 9 (75%) patients with chest HRCT findings related to COVID-19 pneumonia had negative results of concurrent nucleic acid tests.

Chest HRCT can provide an important basis for early clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia, and help subsequent intervention for the patients to stop further transmission, especially consider that the mild clinical symptoms and the initial negative results of nucleic acid tests of these patients are common.